Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier
by neesah
Summary: With the defeat of the Dekim Barton, the ESUN is now headed to an era of peace. But there is still one man who can finish what the Operation Meteor had started. And with him is a Gundam, the predecessor of the Wing Zero, capable of making its pilot the Go
1. And the stage is being set for the next ...

Chapter 1   
  
**Disclaimer: ** I don't own Gundam Wing, Gundam G or any other Gundam series, characters and mecha. It's pretty obvious though coz if I do then this wouldn't be a fanfic but a sequel, hehe. But the characters other than the ones you know and heard of in Gundam Wing are mine.   
  
This is my first fanfic so please bear with me. Endless HAVOC is set right after Endless Waltz and I tried to pattern it after the Gundam tradition. There is no lemon or lime here, also this is non yaoi, all pairings are straight and the 'usual' ones. For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
**A.N.** Here is the politcal hierarchy in the ESUN(Earth Sphere Unified Nation) as I used in this fic. The ESUN government or the CONGREGATION as I fondly dub it is the governing body with the President as the head, together with his cabinet and the Senate that consists of Colony and Earth delegates. The President and the 12 Colony delegates and 12 Earth delegates for the Senate are elected democratically, while the Cabinet is chosen by the President. Vice Foreign Minister Darlian is part of the Cabinet, chosen by the President. Well, I personally think all of the Presidents will choose Relena as the Vice Foreign Minister because she's very well-liked and respected by the Earth and the Colonies (aside from being Queen of the world for a time). Having Relena part of the ESUN government keeps the people feel safe and aim for peace. Not bad for a 16-yr old girl isn't?   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 1: And the stage is being set for the next saga...**

  
  
  
  
  
**DECEMBER AC 196 (a few days after the Marimeia Incident)**  
  


The man sat staring at the television screen, listening to the speech of a young honey-blonde, blue-eyed girl. Her speech was all about the recent coup-de-etat, what it was all about and how it was foiled. But the girl was not merely retelling the events nor just asking the public to forgive a disillusioned little girl who was used as a pawn by her own grandfather. She was also trying to convey a very important message - that maintaining peace was harder than achieving it and that everyone should do their part in maintaining peace, not just the ESUN officials, the Preventers, the soldiers or the Gundam pilots. The audience cheered and applauded, hope filling their hearts as they welcomed a new era of peace. A world where there were no more weapons to be used against one another, where there were no more boundaries between nations, and where the thirst for war and bloodlust were gone for good. 

"So you too, Dekim, had failed," the man said, leaning backwards to his chair. "It's all up to me now, then." He turned his head to the side and said, "Commence Phase I of Operation Domino." 

In the shadows, a figure leaning on the wall with arms crossed answered, "Nimnu Ryoukai," in a monotonous voice, then left. 

  
  
**JANUARY AC 197 (Sanc Kingdom) **  
  


Relena happily but guiltily walked down the street. She sneaked out earlier from her office in the Peacecraft Palace after putting a sleeping drug on both her bodyguards' coffee. _ I know that they're just being cautious and that they only mean well but I need time for myself, by myself, _ Relena thought. _And I can't have that quiet time with those bodyguards hovering around me all the time. They should learn to let up once in a while so I wouldn't have to resort to drastic measures. _

She continued walking, smiling at other passers-by, glancing around, looking at stores then abruptly stopped when something caught her eye. In one of the store windows, a brown bear with a red ribbon around its neck was sitting in the middle of a sea of many other white bears. Relena smiled. She couldn't help but think of HIM whenever she sees a bear. A Prussian blue-eyed, brown-haired HIM. It had been a month since she last saw him, resting peacefully on a hospital bed after the incident. Then out-of-the blue, he disappeared again. The whole gang was a little hurt (and a little pissed, mind you) when they learned that he left again without even saying goodbye. Especially Duo. But not her. Because in his own way, she knew, he had said goodbye to her. She remembered feeling his presence when she was delivering her speech. She knew without looking that he was there, and that he was leaving again. She didn't mind his leaving. She knew that he still had some issues that he had to face alone and that he still had to learn how to live and adjust to a world with no more battles to be fought. 

"We'll see each other again," she said to herself reassuringly. "Our destinies have been intertwined from the beginning. He'll be back. My Heero will be back." She stared wistfully at the bear one last time before continuing on her way. 

_Why is it that all of the important men in my life are always being taken away from me, in one way or the other?_ Relena mused. Her foster father, the former Vice Foreign Minister, was assassinated, her brother, Milliardo Peacecraft (also known to the world as Zechs Merquise) went to Mars for the terraforming project with Noin and lastly, Heero. But unlike before, she was not asking the others for information on his whereabouts. But she kept close correspondence with these people whom she met during the war. They became close since the last threat to peace and at long last, she found a few people whom she can call her true friends --- Duo, Hilde, Trowa, Catherine, Quatre, Dorothy, Sally, Lady Une and even Wufei. Also, her brother and Noin never failed to call her once a week, just to check in on her. Still, at times, she felt lonely. Terribly lonely. And burdened. She would be 17 this year but she had responsibilities that no normal teenager her age had or should have. Like being the Vice Foreign Minister for starters. And maintaining peace. Almost everyone look up to her as the symbol of peace. _How did I become that?_ she wondered. _My life changed since the day I met you, Heero. But I will never regret it._

She looked at her watch and sighed. _Quiet time is over,_ she thought. _ I guess I better get back before the bodyguards wake up, go ballistic and make Lady Une, Sally and Wufei worry about me._ She stopped, then chuckled. _Wufei worried about me? Impossible. Angry---maybe, indifferent--- probably but worried, never. _

Relena started walking in the direction she came from, thoughts of her remaining work and her appointments for the afternoon occupying her mind, as well as the speech she would make at tomorrow's conference. She was just reaching the other side of the street, still preoccupied that she didn't see a very fast Chevy pick-up from her right. Too late. Relena was paralyzed with shock that she didn't hear someone yell, "LOOK OUT!" and shoved her. Relena fell face first on the sidewalk and felt someone on top of her. She regained her senses when the person on top of her asked, " Are you alright, miss?" then helped her up. 

Relena turned around to look at her savior. She saw a girl, about her age and height, staring back at her. With her shoulder-length auburn hair and gray-green eyes she looked really pretty. But there was something about her that reminds Relena of someone else._ A boy? _she thought. _Or someone just as strong. She looks lean and slight but I can feel that she's stronger than she looks._ She almost shivered when she stared at the girl's eyes. _Those eyes, the intensity, the coldness---_Relena's thoughts were interrupted when the girl peered into her face and asked again, "Hey, are you ok?" Relena saw the coldness in her eyes flicker away and was replaced by concern. 

Relena smiled, "Yes, Im fine. Thank you for saving my life. I know that it was foolish of me to cross the street without looking. I almost had gotten you killed too." 

"Oh, it's nothing. At first I thought I wouldn't get to you fast enough. Then I was worried that you went into shock when you kept on staring at me and not answering my question," the girl said, smiling. 

Relena noticed that that simple smile radiated her face. _I think I would like her to be my friend, _Relena thought to herself. She extended a hand and said, "By the way, Im Relena."

The girl took her hand and answered, "Nice to meet you, Relena. Im Athena---". Athena's voice trailed off as her eyes widen with recognition. "Hey, you're Relena Darlian Peacecraft! The Vice Foreign Minister!" she said, still holding to Relena's hand. "I can't believe it!" Athena exclaimed. 

"Why? You can't believe that the Vice Foreign Minister almost got ran over if you hadn't arrived in the nic of time to shove her down the sidewalk?" Relena asked, amused.

"Huh? Yes, I mean no. What I mean is that I thought it's fancy meeting you here, when I'm on my way to your office."

"Your on your way to my office? Why?"

"Well, I'm the new assistant the ESUN Congregation hired to help you with your work."

"So, this is a stroke of luck huh? My new assistant is also my savior. What a coincidence! Hmm, but I think , coincidence or not, we should better get going so you can see the office and get acquainted with everything and everyone." Relena said and sheepishly added, "Also, they might start worrying about me since I'm not **supposed** to be out here alone…" 

Athena looked at her with amusement, "So, I saved a runaway princess then? Or should I say an escaped politician?"

They both laughed and started walking in the direction of the Peacecraft Palace. "You know, I was just thinking earlier how much work I have to do when I get back that I don't know if I could finish all of it in time. And thinking of those various tasks and all of my appointments almost got me ran over," Relena said after some time. "But I know everything will be better now that I have you as an assistant. " Relena looked at Athena and smiled.

"I know what you mean. I think that this is a start of something wonderful, Relena-sama," Athena said smiling back, making the glint in her gray-green eyes intensify. 

  
  
**DECEMBER AC 197 (Somewhere in L1 Colony)**  
  


Heero ran his hand through his unruly hair for the umpteenth time, the look of concentration never wavering from his face. He had been staring at his laptop for hours now though his face showed no sign of weariness. It had been a year since the Marimeia incident, the last time he or the other Gundam pilots had been inside a Gundam, fighting a war. And since then peace was maintained. Or at least, there hadn't been any threats to it that would eventually lead them to another war. So far. 

And he intended things to stay this way. No one should ever be allowed to disturb the peace. No one. Not while he was still alive. As a soldier, his duty was done. Young as he was, he helped usher peace and in this new era, there were no more need for soldiers like him. But as a civilian, a member of the ESUN, he still had the duty to help guard this peace that many sacrificed their lives and souls for. He went through the data again, trying to figure out what he missed. There were no abnormal occurrences, no suspicious activities, nothing. But that queasy feeling never left him. It was like a calm before a storm. 

_Or maybe I'm just being paranoid, _he mused. _Still not at ease to live in a peaceful world._ But he was trying. He went back to school, designing software in his free time _(might as well use my training for my advantage)._ He was trying his best to put his bloody past behind him and to start living a decent life. As far as he knew, everyone was doing the same thing. Duo was back with the sweepers group, living with his girlfriend Hilde in L2 where they managed their own 'metal junkyard'. Trowa was still performing in the circus with his sister Catherine. Quatre was busy doing his role as the heir to the Winner fortune and one of the colony representatives while Wufei was working with Sally in the Preventers. He didn't keep contact with them but somehow they managed to find him: Duo--- never failing to call once a week, Quatre--- though busy still managed to check on him once in a while, Trowa --- dropping by whenever his circus troop was performing in L1, Wufei and Sally --- visiting and updating him about the Preventers whenever they had an assignment nearby.

_ It's nice to hear from them once in a while_, he reluctantly admitted to himself. But he wouldn't admit it to them loudly, especially to Duo. _They'll think Im getting soft._

Though he was not the one initiating contact, Heero made it a point to keep an eye on these people he now considered as more than allies or comrades at war. He knew everything that was happening to each of them. Heero frowned. " Maybe I **am** getting soft." He also monitored the happenings in the ESUN, the Preventers, even the events in Mars. More importantly, he kept an ever strict vigil over the one person holding peace together, the one true reason why he survived and **still** existing in a world where someone as blood-stained as him had no place. Or purpose. 

"Relena," Heero said. He clicked a few buttons and the data he was reading was replaced by an image of a smiling blonde with blue eyes. Heero's eyes softened as he continued to stare at the picture. He could recall himself drowning in those eyes every time he looked at them. Memories came flooding back to him as he reached out and traced her cheeks with his fingertips. "Relena," he said again, almost like a chant. He needed not say other words - they were not needed. That single word said it all. "I promised to protect you and the peace you created, Relena. I never break my promises." Immediately, the softness in his eyes was replaced with cold determination.

He pressed a few buttons and the screen once again displayed the data he was reading earlier. He started to review what happened for the past year in the ESUN particularly in the CONGREGATION, his soldier's instincts telling him something was amiss. He then noticed that almost every ESUN cabinet member had a scandal and was replaced except for Relena. Weird._ I'm sure I remember running a background check on each of them before and found nothing. They're fairly decent guys,_ he thought. What was more weird was that the replacements were either former Romefeller or Alliance aristocrats or people behaving as such.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a beep of an incoming transmission. Strange. The transmission was sent in a frequency that only one person knew, only one person used. And he had not heard from that person for 2 years now. 

"That's because he's dead," he muttered to himself._ Is this some kind of a joke? A trap?_

"Well, I wouldn't know 'til I answer it, wont I?" He pressed a button and got the shock of his life when he saw the image from the other line, though his shock never seeped through his stoic exterior. In his ever monotonous voice he said, "Dr. J." 

  


************************************************

  
  


In his office, the man said to the person on the videophone, "I think this is long enough. It's time for Phase II."

  
  



	2. And so the end begins...

Chapter 2   
  
**Disclaimer: ** I repeat I don't own Gundam Wing, Gundam G or any other Gundam series, characters and mecha. But the other characters in this fic aside from those you are all familiar with are mine.   
  
I hope that Chapter 1 was mysterious enough to arouse your curiousity to continue reading. For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
**A. N. ** The Total Disarmamanet Treaty is the Treaty the Colonies and Earth made that involved the total destruction of all military-related paraphelnalia -- weapons, artillery, mobile suits, etc.   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 2: And so the end begins...**

  
  
  
  
  
**MARCH AC 198**  
  


Relena was startled when the intercom buzzed. Pressing the button, she mumbled, "Yes, Athena," never keeping her eyes off the papers she was reading.

"Relena-sama, Lady Une is here to see you."

"Send her in." Relena looked up when she heard the door open. "Lady Une, it's nice of you to drop by. "

"Thank you, Vice Foreign Minister. I hope Im not intruding."

"No you're not. And don't be so formal, Lady Une. We're friends. Please sit down." Relena smiled, waiting for Lady Une to sit down and get comfortable before continuing, "What can I do for you? If you came here to tell me about Milliardo and Noin's wedding then you're a few minutes late. I just heard from them."

Lady Une couldn't help but smile. "So you already knew the good news? It's about time those two tied the knot. Though I would like it that they let us know in advance so we could come or they could just get married here so we all have an excuse to see everybody." But her smile was short-lived when she remembered the reason behind her visit. "But that's not why Im here, Relena."

Warning bells rang in Relena's head. Lady Une had her 'soldier's mask' but she could see worry and concern in her eyes. 

Lady Une took a deep breath then continued. "The Preventers had stumbled into something but before we act on it while it's still small, I have to know first-hand information on what is really happening in the ESUN. And you're the only one who has a fairly good idea what's happening, the only one credible enough whom I can ask. And the only one that would care, anyways."

Relena didn't answer immediately. She gathered her thoughts and recalled everything, noting every detail, appraising and analyzing each situation carefully. "Well, there is definitely some kind of political tension in the Congregation. Those new Cabinet Members are acting like they're the ones calling all the shots, that they own the whole ESUN. They're behaving as if the earth own the colonies or that the colonies owe the earth. Considering the fact that most of them are old, stuffy, leftover aristocrats from the Alliance and Romefeller, I'm not surprised. But their behavior is making the colony heads and delegates restless. Their demands to the colonies are getting to be too much and outrageous. But the President just sits there doing nothing. Most of the Colony delegates in the Senate think that the Total Disarmament Treaty is just another ruckus of the Earth to subjugate and rule the colonies for good. Though I'm trying to reassure them that that is not the case, the tension and paranoia are growing everyday. Breakdown in communication is imminent, the colony heads' distrust is building up while the Earth officials' greed is increasing too. The Congregation is now split into two parts: The Earth delegates and the Colony delegates though nobody would admit it. But it is fairly evident that the whole ESUN is feeling the tension, fearing what this political upheaval would bring. I had even gotten a report that the colonies are thinking of nullifying the Treaty and to declare their independence if this keeps up. " Relena stopped when she saw the look in Lady Une's face. "Don't worry. It's not too late to salvage the relationship between the Earth and the Colonies. I know that this is just a misunderstanding and that if everyone cooperate and talk peacefully all of us would come to terms. That's why I personally suggested to the President an emergency Congregation Conference which I prefer to call a 'Peace Summit'. It will be held in L3 tomorrow so we could discuss things and dispel any kind of speculation, paranoia and misunderstanding. In that way, we could prevent another Operation Meteor from happening." 

"That's why I'm here, Relena. We discovered plans for another Operation Meteor but I have to talk to you first so I would know if it's really possible before we make our move."

"It** is** possible, if that's what you're asking me. But I think that the colonies are not that desperate yet to wage war again. I personally know that everyone is tired and wary of war and if there is even a slight chance of settling this peacefully they would take that chance. They learned the hard way, and I believe that everyone concerned will choose peace over war."

Lady Une sat silent, mulling over what Relena said. "I agree with you. And I know that you have the ability to fix this situation. But what's bothering me is that I cant stop thinking that there's more to this than meets the eye. With the gradual political upheaval and this Operation Meteor II, I can't help but think that there's something going on, that we are like actors in a play, everything is scripted, as if..."

"As if someone is pushing the ESUN towards chaos that will lead to another war," Relena finished for Lady Une. Her head pounded. _It's happening again,_ Relena thought to herself. _NO! I wont let this happen! I won't have another war, not in my lifetime, not ever! I won't let any civilian suffer again. I won't let any more soldiers sacrifice their souls and lives to protect their loved-ones. I won't let the world give birth to another Milliardo Peacecraft or another Perfect Soldier!_ Relena looked straight at Lady Une, her eyes filled with fiery determination. "Rest assured that I will do my best to settle this matter in the Peace Summit tomorrow. And thanks for coming here to talk things with me first before you act on the situation, Lady Une. It really means a lot to me. I will tell you about the Summit when I come back." 

Lady Une smiled and stood up. She looked at the young girl in front of her and saw the expression in her eyes. _So pure,_ she said to herself._ Just like the other 5._ "No, thank **you**, Relena. You really are remarkable. I know that the ESUN has unintentionally placed the burden of maintaining peace in your young shoulders but I promise you that the Preventers and I will help you keep this peace we all worked hard to achieve." With that Lady Une said goodbye and left the room. 

Unbeknownst to them, someone was listening to their conversation. 

"That's right. Do what you do best, Vice Foreign Minister," the man said, smirking. "Everything is going according to plan."

  
  
**A MONTH LATER (Preventer Headquarters)**  
  


Lady Une sat down as she looked at each of the faces in the room. Directly in front of her was Noin sitting beside Zechs. Quatre was sitting with Duo in the couch placed at the right side of the wall. Opposite the couch, Trowa and Wufei were standing against the wall while Sally was sitting at her right. It was hard to imagine that one could usher all the major players in the Eve Wars and the Marimeia Incident in just one room. And it was even harder to imagine that just 3 years ago, they were all enemies but now they were all such good friends. Lady Une couldn't help feeling happy to see them again. She hadn't seen these people for a while now, aside from Sally and Wufei who both work in the Preventers main headquarters in the Sanc Kingdom. But her happiness was dampened by the circumstance of their meeting. 

"I know that all of you has some kind of idea why I called you here. But you don't know the whole story so I will start at the beginning for all of you to better understand." Lady Une stopped to look at each of them again before continuing. "Last month we discovered some plans for a second Operation Meteor by the colonies. But this is absurd considering we've been living in peace for a considerable time now. That's why I decided to visit Relena first before doing any specific actions so that I could get an insider's point of view or a professional opinion so to speak. Though we reached a conclusion that there is a growing political tension among the Congregation officials that is causing a friction in the Earth-Colonies relations, we still believe that this is just a misunderstanding that can be solved through peaceful means. We also believe that the whole ESUN has learned its lesson from the past and will think twice first before engaging into another war. But Relena and I also had a suspicion that maybe someone has a hand in all of this, that somehow, someone or something is pushing us to another war. Thus Relena called for the Peace Summit in L3 to settle everything and to prevent chaos." 

Lady Une stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. "But you all know what happened to the Peace Summit last month. Someone tried to assassinate Relena in front of the whole Congregation and due to this it was rescheduled 4 days after to let Relena recover from her bruises. Then again another disaster strikes. The whole auditorium where the Peace Summit was supposed to be held was bombed. Not a single member of the Congregation that were inside survived. Luckily, Relena and the President were late. They had an earlier meeting and decided to come to the conference together and had some engine trouble. So, another set of Cabinet Members was appointed, another set of Senators elected. With all that happened, the whole ESUN was in the verge of panic. The new Congregation delegates were hesitant to go to another Peace Summit but they knew that to maintain peace they have to. The problem is that Colony delegates don't trust the Earth delegates and vice versa. But both parties trust one person and one person only so they agreed to come together and talk due to that person."

"Miss Relena," Quatre said.

"So Relena managed to convince them to attend another forum. When and where will this next Summit be held?" asked Noin.

"Next week, on Relena's 18th birthday here in the Sanc Kingdom."

"What? I thought Relena's throwing a party," Duo asked incredulously.

"Well, Relena decided to have the Peace Summit the whole day then the party will be at night. That way it becomes a social occasion, lessening any political tension."

"So you called us here to make sure that the Peace Summit and Relena's birthday party take place without any hassles?" Duo asked again.

Lady Une looked at Sally. Sally took over the briefing. "Yes, but that's not all. Since the Peace Summit, the assassination attempts on Relena's life increased twofolds. We tried our best to protect her but even with 24/7 surveillance she's still in danger. We almost lost her last week. And sadly, we're losing Preventer agents everyday because of it." There was a collective silence in the room.

"Relena is the last link between the Earth and the Colonies. Severing the link means we're headed back to where we started," Trowa said, "another war."

"So you need us to help you protect Relena?" Zechs asked.

Sally answered, "You got two of the reasons. There is another one." She looked first at Lady Une who nodded at her. "What I'm about to tell you is Preventers classified information. I know you'd heard about the recent attacks on 3 of the Preventer headquarters here on Earth. We let the media believe that these were all terrorist attacks, that there were few casualties, nothing more and that everything was under control. This is not entirely true. We don't want the whole ESUN to worry or to panic, even the Congregation. What they don't know is that those 3 Preventer bases were really 3 of the 4 secret military bases of the Preventers where all of the Preventer Mobile Suits, weapons and artillery were hidden."

"Secret Military Base? I thought that everything military-oriented were destroyed after the Marimeia incident for the betterment of the ideal of total pacifism. What about that Total Disarmament Treaty? We even self-detonated our own Gundams because of that pacifism bullshit for chrisssake!" Duo cried out. 

"The Preventers were given complete autonomy and independence with regards to maintaining peace. We thought it will be for the best if we are ready to fend off those who would take advantage of a weaponless society. Only the Preventers are authorized to have weapons in the whole ESUN," Lady Une informed them.

"Even Relena thought that keeping some weapons are appropriate and logical. We don't want to be caught unaware again. But these bases were only there in case of emergency. Nobody else knew about their existence, only the Preventers -- just to make sure that nobody panics or tries to take over the bases and use them against us," Sally added.

"But even if we have kept these weapons, its collective firepower is only enough to settle small skirmishes. And not powerful enough to take over the ESUN or fend off a very powerful army," Wufei said.

"That's why we put out the fire while it's still small," Sally said. "We cant afford to let it get big. We wont be able to stop it."

"If the existence of these bases are classified information, that means there is a spy or a traitor here in the Preventers," Zechs said.

"Or someone hacked into the Preventers database," said Noin.

"That we will find out. Back to the attacks. All cameras in the bases were destroyed so we didn't have any idea who or what caused the attack. Fortunately, we recovered an audio recording from the last base."

Everyone listened carefully as Wufei played the recording. They could hear metal banging, soldiers scurrying and shouting --- normal sounds one could expect during an attack. Then they heard an explosion and a soldier's exclamation that made everyone's blood turned to ice. "A GUNDAM!" followed by an ear-deafening explosion then static.

"A Gundam! It couldn't be!" Noin exclaimed.

"Maybe it's a mistake. Nobody has the technology to create another Gundam anymore," Quatre said.

"You're right. But if it is true, then we are in deep trouble," Trowa said quietly.

"This is just great! The fact that the ESUN only has a few weapons, 3/4 of which are destroyed and that we don't have our Gundams anymore make us sitting ducks. And we also have to face a Gundam," Duo said bitterly.

"Don't be a cry baby, Maxwell! We're not even sure that it is really a Gundam," Wufei told him.

"Im not a cry baby and my name is DUO, not Maxwell," Duo retorted.

"You're name is DUO MAXWELL, isn't it?" Duo was going to answer back but was quickly cut off by Sally.

"Drop it, you two. We should not be arguing. This is really serious." Wufei knew better than to argue when Sally used that tone. Duo followed suit. 

"Wufei is right. We're still not sure if it's really a Gundam. So we have to know first before we worry or make our move. And we must know if there's a connection between the Gundam, these attacks, the bombings, Relena's assassination attempts and the gradual political upheaval in the Congregation," Lady Une said.

"So the third reason is for us to discover what's really happening so we could avoid another war," Quatre summed up.

"I wish Heero is with us. We could really use his help," Noin said.

"But he's not here and we couldn't wait for him to show up," Zechs told her.

"And we have to move fast. There's no telling what will happen next. We might be too late already to stop this thing," Wufei said.

"And knowing Heero, he's probably doing something about this situation as we speak," Trowa said.

"Yeah. He might just appear and say 'I solved everything. You could all go home now'," Duo added.

"I completely agree," Sally chuckled.

"So what's the plan Lady Une?" Quatre asked. 

"First of all, we have to make sure if the attacks on the bases were made by a Gundam. That's why we will set a trap. The 4th Preventer Military base is located on the Jungles of Costa Rica. Trowa, Wufei and Zechs can go there and wait for the attack. Zechs, I'll give you the security card of the Tallgeese III so you could go and use it. Trowa and Wufei will use Serpent suits. Try to capture the attacker in any way. But if it becomes a potential threat to any of you, you can dispose of it as you wish. If it's really a Gundam, then goodluck. But you have a fairly good chance because you three are exceptional pilots and that your suits combined could be a match to a Gundam. You'll be leaving at sunset. The attacks were always made at night and in a weekly basis so the attack on the 4th base will happen any day this week. Sally and Noin will stay here to help me weed out our spy or traitor or whoever is hacking to the Preventer Database. Quatre will return to the colonies to try and discern what's really happening. Duo will help in protecting Relena and be her personal bodyguard. Any questions?" None. "By the way, when did any of you last had any contact with Heero?"

"Well, I suppose I'm the last one who talked to him. I called him last December and never heard from him ever since. It's like he just vanished," Duo answered.

"Very typical of Yuy," Wufei said.

"If any of you got in touch with him, tell him that I'm looking for him and that we really need his help," Lady Une instructed them.

"Don't worry. He'll show himself if need be," Trowa assured her.

"Ok, now that's everything is settled, let's go visit Relena," Noin told them.

"If there are really no more questions, Meeting Adjourned. Remember nothing leaves this room. You can't talk about this anywhere but here and to anyone even with Relena or Heero. Heero must see me first," Lady Une said. Everyone nodded their ascent then slowly walked toward the door.

"Aren't you coming with us, Lady Une?" Quatre asked.

"I want to but I still have other things to do. Just say hi to Relena for me."

"Sure do. Bye."

  
  
**That afternoon 1:00 pm (Relena's office, Peacecraft Palace)**  
  


Relena didn't look up when the door opened. She just said, "Hey Athena, aren't you too early to be back? Well, I don't mind coz I'm starving. Hope you didn't forget to get me a sandwich."

"Sorry, no sandwich. What if we all just go out for lunch? My treat," a familiar male voice said to her.

Relena's head snapped up, "Milliardo! Noin! Everybody! It's good to see you!" Relena stood up and hugged her brother first, then Noin, then everybody. Well not everybody. Trowa just shook her hand and said, "Hi, Relena" while Wufei just nodded his greeting. 

"Well, what brings all of you to this part of Earth?"

"Hey, Jousan did you forget? It's your birthday next week so we thought that we drop by early," Duo said, grinning at her.

"We're happy that we can make it on your 18th birthday, Relena," Noin said to her.

"That's great! You can all stay here at the Palace."

"Actually, me, Noin and Duo are planning to stay here, if you don't mind. But the others have to leave. Quatre and Trowa have to go back to the colonies to finish something. Oh, I almost forgot. I can't stay tonight because Lady Une asked me to do something for her. But I promise I'll be back before your birthday," Zechs said.

"We all be back. I'll be here by the end of the week, Miss Relena," Quatre said.

"What about the girls? When will they be here?"

"Hilde told me that she'll be arriving here on Sunday, the day before your birthday, with Catherine and Dorothy. So you could have a day of uninterrupted girl talk she said," Duo told her. 

"Oh my, I can't wait 'til Sunday! I know that it's going to be fun. I'm so glad that you're all here."

"Hey Relena, where's Athena? I didn't see her when we came in," Sally asked.

"Yeah, I was kind of wondering too. I always see her with you," Quatre said.

"Hmm, Quatre my man why are you looking for this girl? It sounds like you got the hots for her. I don't think Dorothy will like that. She might just stab you again hehe," Duo said, grinning mischievously.

Wufei rolled his eyes. Quatre blushed. "I'm just asking that's all."

"Athena? Who's that?" Noin asked.

"Relena's assistant. She's very pretty and very efficient. Nice too. Even Wufei admits that she is good," Sally answered.

"That onna is strong. I can feel it," Wufei muttered. Trowa looked at him.

"She's still on her lunch break. She doesn't come back until 1:30," Relena informed them.

"It's very thoughtful of the Congregation to hire you an assistant. You're too young to be burdened like this," Zechs said to his sister.

"Yeah. Athena is really a heaven-sent. I've been really dependent on her for this past year. And not only that she saved me from being ran over the first time we met."

Zechs raised an eyebrow. Noin asked her, "How did that happen? Where did you meet?"

Relena smiled sheepishly, "Well, I kinda sneaked out once then I was crossing the road when Athena shoved me away from an incoming pick-up. Afterwards, she recognized me and said that she was on her way here to be my new assistant."

Zechs glared at Relena, but managed to soften his tone (though there was still a certain edge to it). "I don't like you sneaking out again, Relena. It's a good thing that there's always someone who manages to save you on time." 

Relena looked down and just nodded. Zechs didn't know how much those words hit home. She always had to be protected. And she knew that this past month many Preventer agents died protecting her. 

Duo noticed Relena's silence and decided to lighten up the mood.

"Hey, hey. Let's go now and eat. My stomach is already grumbling," Duo said.

"Your stomach is always grumbling, Maxwell!" Wufei said.

"You're the one who's always grumbling, Wuffie!"

"Kisama! My name is not Wuffie, it's Wufei!"

"Ok Wu-man."

"INJUSTICE! IM GOING TO CUT OFF THAT DAMN BRAID OF YOURS, MAXWELL, IF YOU DON'T STOP CALLING ME NAMES!"

Wufei holding his katana is posed to cut off Duo's braid when Zechs stopped him.

"Ok that's enough. I'm hungry too so we better get going and eat. My treat."

"It's about time! You still owe us some wedding food, banquet or whatever," Duo said.

Zechs answered, "If you don't stop bugging me, I won't pay for your food."

Duo shut up immediately that everybody couldn't help but laugh. They started walking to the door when it suddenly burst open.

"Relena-sama, here's your sand-" Athena stopped in midsentence when she saw that Relena was not alone as she expected. 

"Hey, Athena I would like you to meet my brother Milliardo, my sister-in-law Noin, my friends Duo Maxwell and Trowa Barton. You already know Sally Po, Wufei Chang and Quatre Raberba Winner. Everyone, this is my trusty assistant and friend, Athena Mazaki."

"Hi! Nice to meet you all," Athena said, smiling.

"Hey, Athena. Long time no see," Sally said to her.

"Hi, Athena" Quatre said.

"Sooo you're Athena. Now I know why Quatre is asking about you," Duo said.

Quatre blushed. "Duo…"

Zechs, Wufei and Trowa just nodded at her.

Athena approached Relena and handed her the bag she was holding. "Here's your sandwich, Relena-sama."

"Thanks. I'll eat it later. We're going out for lunch. Want to come with us?"

"Yeah, please join us," Quatre said.

Duo was going to say something again but Trowa pulled his braid. "OUCH! Hey, what did you do that for?" Trowa let go but didn't answer. He just looked back at Athena.

"Thanks but no thanks. I just ate lunch."

"You can just come with us and talk," Sally suggested.

"I really love to but I can't. I still have work to do. Maybe next time. Go, have fun, all of you."

"Your call. Just leave something for me to do when I get back ok," Relena said to her before waving goodbye.

Everyone said goodbye then went out of the door. Athena picked up some folders then followed them out and resumed working on her desk.

Relena, Noin, Zechs, Duo, Quatre and Sally were walking ahead while Wufei and Trowa trailed behind. They were headed outside to Quatre's van to go to the city and eat lunch.

"I know what you mean when you said earlier that that girl is strong," Trowa said quietly to Wufei. Wufei looked at him for a moment then they continued on their way.

  


****************************************

  
  


"Well, well, what do we have here. A reunion?" the man said, chuckling to himself. "Finally, the traitors had shown themselves. But where is the other one? Come out, come out wherever you are little mouse. Or else I'll lure you out the hard way. And you wouldn't like it a bit."

  



	3. A trap for a trap

Chapter 3   
  
**Disclaimer: ** I really wish that I own Gundam Wing. But I dont. Well, you dont always get what you wish for right?   
  
I hope that you're getting the hang of it. For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 3: A trap for a trap**

  
  
  
  
  
**WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON (Relena's office)**  
  


Relena was standing close to the sliding door, hands pressed to the glass. She sighed as she looked out and see the sun shining, the birds chirping and the flowers being kissed by the wind. _ It's a perfect day for a stroll,_ she thought to herself. _But I'm here inside, stuck with work._

She glanced at her desk and saw the mountain of papers stacked there. "Yup, I don't have time to do anything else," she sadly said. And what was more sad was that it was true. She had better things to do than relax or take a stroll. She had her hands full especially now that the Peace Summit was near. But she was tired--- physically and mentally. And for the past month, emotionally as well due to the numerous attempts on her life._ Why are they targeting me?_ she wondered for the nth time._ I don't have any real political power and technically, Im just a mediator._

And to add to her distress, Lady Une tightened her security _(as if it's not tight enough as it is!) _ because of these growing threats, suffocating her even more. She understood their concern and even felt flattered but she couldn't help becoming more desperate to have a time alone. Especially now that his brother was here. He'll get more protective of her, she was sure of it. Though she hadn't seen him since Monday. What a relief for her to see Milliardo and her friends again. It was a good thing that they decided to drop by early, though only Noin and Duo stayed.

Relena smirked with the thought. "They think that I'm naïve, that I don't know what they're up too. I know that Milliardo is on a mission right now that's why he's still not here. The others too have their missions, and they left Duo to play bodyguard for me." 

But having Duo as her bodyguard was not that bad. Duo protected her without suffocating her, giving her much privacy as possible. And having him and Noin there made her feel that she was not alone anymore amidst a big house with only servants and guards to keep her company. 

Her gaze went back to the garden outside her office. "I'll be 18 on Monday," she said to no one. "I wonder if Heero will come see me." 

She then caught her reflection on the glass window. But she didn't acknowledge the honey blonde hair that cascaded to her back like a golden waterfall or those gorgeous blue eyes the color of the sky. What held her attention were the shooting star earrings that she was wearing. She smiled as she fingered one of the earrings lovingly. She remembered her surprise when she came into her room right after her 17th birthday party and found a white bear with a small velvet box tucked in its arm sitting on her bed. There was no note, but she knew who left it there. Only one person could slip in and out of her room unnoticed by all the Preventers standing guard and the former Gundam pilots being there. Only the Perfect Soldier could. Her suspicions were confirmed when she opened the velvet box and saw the shooting star earrings._ He is the shooting star that I saw, 3 yrs ago,_ she fondly recalled. 

"I hope that you come and let me see you this time, Heero." 

She then shook her head, as if brushing away the thought. She didn't want to hope then be disappointed._ Well if he did come but kept in the shadows I guess I'll still receive another bear or something,_ she said consolingly to herself. She knew that Heero never forgot to give her a present on her birthday but didn't he know that his mere presence was sufficient enough gift to her? She chuckled as a stray thought crossed her mind. _What if the reason he never forgets to give me a present on my birthday is that he still feels guilty for ripping my birthday invitation when we were 15?_

Her thoughts then returned to her present predicament. If she didn't stop daydreaming about Heero, she wouldn't be able to finish her work in time. And since Athena was absent, she knew that there was no one here that could help her finish faster.

With heavy steps, she went back to her desk and sat down. She resumed reading the paper that she was reviewing earlier but her mind wont focus. She could feel the outside world calling her, beckoning her to come out._ I don't want to be caged here forever. I want to go out. I want to go out,_ her mind chanted. _Just for a while._ Then an idea popped into her head. 

  
  
**2 HOURS LATER**  
  


Duo walked through the hallway of the Peacecraft Palace, whistling. He just finished his 1 ½ hr talk with Hilde. He left L2 just 2 days ago but it seemed like a year since the last time he had seen or talked to her. Their phone conversation would have lasted longer if not for Hilde saying, "Duo, you're supposed to be protecting Relena!" That was why he was on his way now to Relena's office. Duo considered Relena as his little sister and tried his best to protect her at all times but still managing to give her space to breathe. With all those bodyguards around he didn't want her to feel that he was suffocating her too, that he was an added nuisance. He knew that Relena valued her privacy and quiet time very much so he kept away for hours and just dropped by to check on her from time to time then leave again. But he wouldn't go very far. He would never let anyone hurt her, they had to go over his dead body first. He chuckled to himself. "I'll be a dead body anyways if I let something happen to her. Double dead. Heero will kill me first then Zechs."

Duo smiled at the other Preventer agents roaming around the Palace. He then reached a large hall -- the reception area of Relena's office where one could find her assistant's desk, several couches, chairs, potted plants and a large TV. Duo frowned when he saw that Athena was not there. Then he remembered that Athena called in sick earlier. He couldn't help a sigh of relief to escape from his lips._ It's not that I don't like her. She's really nice. And pretty too. But whenever I see her, the hair in the back of my neck always stand up,_ he said. _I don't understand why I feel queasy around her. What if --- what if Im getting a crush on her? Sssh, Hilde will kill me!_

Duo then saw Relena's other bodyguards sitting on the couch, watching TV. He went to them and asked, "Hey Tim is Relena in there?"

"Yeah. Never see her went out," Tim answered. 

"Thanks." Duo then went to knock at her door and turned the knob. "Lena, it's me," he called out. "Maybe you need --- What the ---" Duo paled. The room was empty.

"Tim! Paul!" he shouted. The bodyguards outside ran to his side. "Tell everybody Relena's missing. Spread out and search the grounds. Hurry!" Duo commanded. He then searched around her office for some clues. He went to the desk and saw a note addressed to him.

> Duo,   
  
I just went for a stroll. Hope you don't mind. I'll be back before dark. Don't worry, I'll be careful.   
  
Relena 

"DAMN IT RELENA! Your stubbornness will get you killed someday!" Duo crumpled the note as he stormed out of the room. 

  
  
**THAT NIGHT (Costa Rica)**  
  


"When will that blasted Gundam attack? We've been here since Monday night!" Wufei grumbled to the commlink. He, Trowa and Zechs were in their MS, hiding in three different parts of the forest as they waited for the attack on the last Preventer military base. 

"Just be patient, Wufei," Trowa said.

"Lady Une said that the attack might happen any day this week since its seems to be scheduled - once a week and only at night. So if he doesn't attack now, we still have 4 more days to wait for him," Zechs told them.

"Kisama! I'm getting tired of waiting. If he's going to attack, he might as well attack now," Wufei said again.

"Be on your guard," was the last thing Zechs said before silence descended upon them once again.

Moments passed. All that could be heard were the noises coming from the jungle. It was like the jungle was alive --- you could hear it pulsing. The rhythm it produced coincided with the beating of one's heart.

As if by chance, three heads snapped up simultaneously and saw something hovering above the base.

"So that soldier was saying the truth. It really was a Gundam," Trowa said. The three stood rooted in place as they stared at the Mobile Suit above them. It seemed like a cross between Wing Zero and Deathscythe Hell. The Body was Wing Zero's, even the four feathered wings but instead of being white with red and blue, it was black.

"Huh? How did it got pass our sensors?" Zechs asked. The three flew out of their hiding place, heading straight toward the enemy.

"It has hyper jammers like Deathscythe," Wufei answered him, beam cannon in hand. He was attacking from the left, Trowa from the right and Zechs up front. Wufei fired his beam cannon just as Trowa fired his bazooka. But instead of staggering and falling down as expected, the Gundam remained standing unharmed, the blasts merely deflected. Zechs inched closer firing his vulcans and using his heat rod when the smoke cleared but the Gundam was faster. 

"It has planetary defensors too!" Wufei said, firing missiles as he dodge one dragon fang with flame throwers. Trowa was firing his missiles and dodging the other dragon fang too while Zechs was being fired at by the Gundam's vulcans.

"Maybe we could try to overload the planetary defensors by firing all at the same time," Zechs suggested.

The three flew into position and fired - Zechs with his mega cannon, Wufei with his beam cannon and Trowa with his bazooka. They waited for the smoke to clear but they waited too long. After deflecting the 3 shots, the Gundam separated its twin buster rifle and fired at Trowa and Wufei's Suit. The two was caught unaware that they were hit, plummeting to the ground. Zechs had no choice but to use the heat rod since any beam shot was useless against this monster. He attacked and the Gundam fended him off by its beam saber. They continued until the Gundam got the upper hand and sliced both of Tallgeese's arms. And before Zechs even recovered from this, the Gundam hit him with one dragon fang and fired the flame thrower. The Tallgeese managed to avoid getting hit in a critical area but got hit nonetheless so he fell straight down. Now without any interruptions, the Gundam aimed its twin buster rifle at the base and fired.

"Mission Complete," the pilot inside the Gundam said in a monotonous voice then flew off.

  
  
**A FEW MINUTES LATER **  
  


Trowa opened the cockpit of his ruined Serpent suit and came stumbling out. He looked around to try 'sense' what part of the jungle he was in so he could discern the direction towards the base. Satisfied, he started walking. After a few minutes, he stopped when he heard a sound. Hiding behind a tree he waited. He came out of hiding when he discovered that it was not a threat. "Wufei." 

"Trowa," Wufei said in acknowledgment. They continued walking. Trowa realized that Wufei was slightly limping, his right arm bleeding. Wufei on the other hand noticed that there was a big gash on Trowa's forehead, he could clearly see the blood trailing on his visible cheek. But they didn't say anything to each other. 

They just entered the clearing near the base when they saw Zechs sitting on top of the fallen Tallgeese III, waiting for them. His hair was disheveled, his face bruised, and there was dried blood on his left shoulder.

"That was one hell of a fight, wasn't it?" Zechs said in greeting.

"Yeah. That Gundam is something else," Trowa answered. 

"Now we know that it really is a Gundam that attacked the bases," Wufei said.

"It's a good thing that we thought of transferring everything inside the base to the Preventers' main headquarters or else we could have lost everything," Zechs commented.

"Is the Tallgeese still functional?" Trowa asked.

"It's still intact. I think it can still fly and the internals are not damaged. I even had the fight recorded for further analysis. Yours?"

"Destroyed." Zechs then looked at Wufei. "Destroyed too."

"Ok. Our mission is done here. It's time to call Preventer headquarters and go home," Zechs said as he slipped inside the cockpit. After a few seconds, Lady Une's image appeared on the screen.

"Zechs! What's your status?"

"We've been attacked. It is a Gundam, a very strong one. It destroyed the base and we barely made out alive. The Serpent suits were totally destroyed and the Tallgeese is damaged. That Gundam is going to be a big problem."

Lady Une's face was grim. "Yes it is. But we have another problem in our hands right now."

"What?"

"Relena's missing."

"WHAT?!"

"She sneaked out this afternoon. We've looked everywhere but we didn't find her. We thought that she was hiding from us so we waited and just let her return back to the Palace. Duo found a note saying that she went for a stroll and will be back before dark. But she never did."

Anger and worry crossed Zechs' face. With clenched teeth he said, "Alright then. Send us a shuttle ASAP. We need to get back."

"Rodger that."


	4. Amazing Discoveries

Chapter 4   
  
**Disclaimer: ** As you all know, I dont own Gundam Wing. Sunrise or another large Company owns it. Lucky them.   
  
Is it too fast-paced? Not enough descriptions? Boring? For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 4: Amazing discoveries**

  
  
  
  
  
**FRIDAY NIGHT**  
  


Relena laid quietly on the bed, eyes closed. _No use on opening them anyways,_ she told herself, _coz it's so dark in here._ She had been in this position ever since she was incarcerated here 2 days ago. _At least it's clean,_ and that's enough for her to be thankful of even in this unlikely situation. Aside from not being tortured, raped or roughly interrogated, her captors did not lock her up in some dingy, filthy, cold prison cell but in a small, secured room. She even thought that it was soundproofed and that she was being monitored. There was no use trying to escape too. The door was made of metal and there were no windows leading outside. Though there was an airvent in the ceiling, it was just too high, maybe 10-15 ft.

"Stupid! You can be so stupid at times, Relena!" she silently cursed herself. "You're the only idiot who sneaks out for a stroll but ends up either nearly getting run over by a pick-up or getting kidnapped." She sighed. She recalled having a great time last Wednesday afternoon. She had finished her scenic walk and just entered town when she saw Duo and the other Preventers patrolling, looking for something. Or someone. She then decided to hide, her stroll not yet quite finished. She ran to an alley to avoid getting spotted. Instead strong arms wrapped around her, a funny smelling cloth placed in her face. The next thing she knew, she was here in this room. _Well you did a good job hiding from them, Relena. They won't be able to find you now._

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the metal door open. She opened her eyes, turned her head to the side and squinted at the figure standing in the doorway. She saw a tall man, about 5'11' though not bulky, well-toned muscles could be detected under his soldier's uniform even in the dark._ Just one of them,_ she thought. _Maybe they'll feed me this time._ She resumed her position and closed her eyes again, waiting for the soldier to leave when he heard him speak. 

"Relena."

Her eyes fluttered open and she suddenly sat upright. _That voice!_ She stared again at the figure, noting the chocolate brown hair and the intense Prussian blue-eyes glinting at the dark that she missed at her earlier inspection.

"H-heero?"

She stood up and started to walk towards him but dizziness overwhelmed her. She felt weak. She hadn't eaten since Wednesday. Just as she braced herself for her fall, she felt strong arms steady her. 

"Are you ok? Can you walk?" Heero asked.

Relena looked up and met Heero's gaze then nodded. Heero studied her for a moment, letting her gather her bearings. When he was sure that she was ready he took her hand and tugged her out of the room. What they didn't know was that someone was watching their escape through a camouflaged camera.

After a few moments of dodging guards, climbing and running, the two reached Heero's shuttle. When they were a few meters away, Heero pushed a button and the whole underground base exploded into oblivion. "Mission Complete."

  
  
**RELENA'S OFFICE, Peacecraft Mansion **  
  


Noin, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Sally and Lady Une watched as Zechs continued pacing back and forth, an angry scowl formed in his handsome face.

"Where the hell did they take her?!" Zechs said exasperated. It had been 2 days since Relena's disappearance but they still didn't have any leads. 

"This is all my fault," Duo said, anger and bitterness clear in his voice. 

"Duo, don't blame yourself. You know that it's not your fault," Quatre consolingly told him.

"If that onna didn't sneak out, we would never have this problem. She's so pigheaded."

"Can it, Wufei," Sally and Noin told him.

"He's right you know. Relena can be really stubborn sometimes," Zechs said dejectedly.

"Well, Relena's missing and discussing who's at fault won't solve the situation. We should focus on finding her," Lady Une said.

"I hope we find her before the whole ESUN discovers she's missing," Sally said.

"And I hope just in time for the Peace Summit too," Trowa added.

"If Relena won't show up for the Summit on Monday, everyone will freak out and point fingers at each other. Chaos will surely follow," Noin said.

"Also, we still have other problems to worry about aside from Relena missing," Lady Une told them.

"Yeah, that Gundam," said Wufei.

"Do you think it's all connected? The Gundam, Relena disappearing and what's happening in the Congregation?" Duo asked.

"The only pattern that I could see here is that the end result is the breaking of ties between the Earth and the colonies," Sally informed them.

"But who would want that to happen? And why?" asked Quatre.

"Because someone wants to start another war," a familiar monotonous voice answered them. All heads turned to a shadowy figure on the wall near the door. 

"Heero buddy! You arrived just in time! Relena's missing and we need your help to find her," Duo said as he rushed to Heero.

"I already did. I left her in her bedroom just moments ago."

"WHAT?!" was the collective response.

Zechs grabbed the lapel of Heero's jacket. "Are you joking, Yuy?" 

Heero gave Zechs his infamous Death Glare then removed Zechs hand from his denim jacket before answering. "No. You can see for yourself."

But Zechs didn't go anywhere. He just stood there and glared at Heero.

"Unbelievable! We've been searching everywhere for the last 2 days and here is Yuy appearing out of nowhere telling us that he already found Relena. Injustice!" Wufei said.

"Well, it's Heero we're talking about here. It's very possible," Sally said, grinning.

"Then tell us Heero, how did you find her?" Quatre asked, curious.

"I gave Relena a pair of earrings on her last birthday."

"Hehe I knew it! You're finally going to admit that you got feelings for Jousan!" Duo said, grinning like a dog. He stopped grinning when Heero shot him a death glare.

"You're there at her party? We never saw you!" Lady Une said.

"We didn't ask you if you gave Relena a birthday present! We asked you how you managed to find her when we couldn't find any trace of her for two days both here on Earth and the colonies!" Zechs yelled at him. Zechs stiffened as Heero fingered the gun on his waist and shot Zechs a warning look.

"It's a tracking device," Heero answered simply.

Everyone's jaws dropped to the ground. Duo was the first one to recover.

"You sly dog! Sweet and smart. I never thought you got it in you," Duo told him. Heero pointed his gun at him. 

Duo grimaced and raised his hands in surrender. "Ok I'll shut up now. Don't be so touchy, buddy." 

Heero put his gun back to his waist. Nobody saw the amusement in Heero's eyes. He always enjoyed frightening Duo.

"It's a smart move, Heero. Or else we never would have found her," Trowa said.

"So she really is here. I'll go now and see her," Zechs told them.

"I'll go with you," Noin said.

"Me too. I'll check up on her just to make sure she's ok," Sally added.

Zechs waited for the two women to exit. But before he followed them, he turned to Heero. "And Yuy, thanks," then hurried off.

"I think we better all see her," Lady Une said.

"Yeah. But there are things I would like to know first. Where have you been all this time, Heero?" Duo asked his best friend.

"And what do you mean when you said earlier that someone wants to start another war?" Quatre amended.

"I'll answer your questions later. We must wait for the others," and with that Heero turned and left.

  
  
**HALF AN HOUR LATER (Underground Conference Room in the Peacecraft Palace)**  
  


"So Heero what information do you have for us?" Lady Une asked as everybody, minus Relena got in. And with that Heero started to tell them what happened to him since December.

**********************************************FLASHBACK****************************************************

  


> Heero stared at the figure on his laptop. "Dr. J," he said in his monotonous voice, his shock not evident. 
> 
> "Hello, Heero. Glad that you still remember me after all this time," Dr. J said to him.
> 
> "We thought you died with the other 4 scientists in the Eve Wars."
> 
> "Well, that goes to show that even blowing up Peacemillion's propulsion engines won't kill us eh?" Dr. J said. "I think that me and the rest of the scientists were spared because we are still needed, that altering Libra's course from crashing down to Earth is not sufficient enough to atone for our sins." Heero just stared at him. "I need to show you something. You can find us at this coordinates. Come quickly." Then the call was disconnected.
> 
>   
  
**SOMEWHERE IN L1 (In the scientists' secret lab)**  
  

> 
> "Heero, my boy. Glad you made it," Dr J greeted.
> 
> Heero just grunted in response, his attention caught by the towering figure at the far end of the room. "Wing Zero."
> 
> "Im sorry to say that it's only 75% complete, just like the others. Building Moble Suits are hard nowadays. Unlike during the time of the Alliance and Romefeller," Dr. J chuckled.
> 
> "Why did you rebuild the Gundams?" Heero asked his mentor.
> 
> "I know that your soldier's instincts are telling you that something is up, that another storm is brewing. You're right. We discovered something that made us realize that the Gundams are needed again. And we hope that this will be the last time we're ever going to need them, the last time there'll be any threat to peace. Come," Dr. J said, motioning Heero to follow him. They entered another room where the other 4 scientists are waiting.
> 
> "With Quinze and Dekim's deaths, the ESUN thinks that the threat Operation Meteor posed was buried with them. What they don't know is that there is still one person capable of instigating Operation Meteor. Especially now that the whole ESUN is defenseless and the Gundams gone," Dr. J informed him.
> 
> "We almost forgot about him. We just remembered him when we recovered some important files about Operation Meteor from Dekim's old mainframe," Professor G said.
> 
> "Who?"
> 
> "Damon Luther, Dekim's partner and associate, the strategist behind Operation Meteor," Doctor S answered. "He is very clever and patient, good both in direct and indirect attacks."
> 
> "He is also very stubborn. Once he thought of something, he will see it through the end come hell or high water," Instructor H added. "All of us can remember several instances in the past where we argued with him because of pursuing something crazy or impossible."
> 
> "But Damon's objectives are different from Dekim. While Dekim wants the Barton Family to rule the Earth and the Colonies, Damon wants the colonists to rule over Earth. He wanted the people of Earth to experience what the colonists experienced all those years under the Alliance --- the oppression, the hopelessness, the way the people of Earth treat the colonists as if they were inferior," Master O told him.
> 
> "The question that will come to mind is 'But wasn't it too late? The colonies and Earth are coexisting in peace for a time now. Isn't that enough to stop him from continuing his revenge?' The answer is yes, it is too late and there's no more point for revenge. But he'll still continue with his plan. Why? Let's just say that Damon usually drowns in his own ideals," Instructor H said.
> 
> "The colonies are satisfied with the present situation. They wouldn't plan on starting another war. Even if Damon wants to continue Operation Meteor he can't force the colonies to do something that they don't want," Heero said.
> 
> "Do you remember Relena's reason why she proposed to abolish all national boundaries and create a Unified Nation?" Dr. J asked Heero. 
> 
> "That it only takes at least two separate entities to start a conflict."
> 
> "Correct. So to avoid conflict, there should only be one entity - hence the ESUN. Zechs had the same idea at that time. But eliminating the other body, the Earth which he considered the stronger one, instead of proposing a merge like what Relena was planning to do is kinda extreme," Professor G said.
> 
> Understanding dawned on Heero. "So he's the one behind the gradual political upheaval in the Congregation. He wants to create a rift between the Earth and the colonies so the colonies will support him in waging war against Earth. That way, he could justify the need for another Operation Meteor. But how is he doing it?"
> 
> "It's very easy if you think about it. As I said earlier, he's good both in direct and indirect attacks. He's posing as Mr. DL Walker, the infamous adviser of many Congregation officials - both from the colonies and Earth. He's even in close confidence with the President. He could pretend having their best interest at heart, making suggestions, offering advices. And those fools wouldn't think twice in doing it not knowing that they are being set-up, that they are just being used as pawns," answered Doctor S. 
> 
> "And knowing Damon, this is just the beginning," Master O added. "That's where the even bigger problem comes in." Heero looked at them questioningly.
> 
> Dr. J said, "As we said earlier, we recovered some files from Dekim's system. After careful inspection, we realized that all of Dekim's instructions to the Gundams and its pilots with regards to Operation Meteor always have 6 transmissions. We all know where the 5 were sent. So that means ---" 
> 
> "There's a 6th Gundam," Heero finished for him. 
> 
> "Apparently. So we tried to trace where the transmission was sent. We traced it to an abandoned resource satellite in Lagrange Point 5. It was owned by Damon Luther," Professor G said.
> 
> "Hn. Damon has a Gundam. What happened to the Gundam and its pilot?"
> 
> "Frankly, we don't know. We haven't finished decoding the files we downloaded. As of this moment, we don't have any information on the Gundam --- what it's name, its capabilities, what it looks like, who created it. We also don't know why we didn't see that Gundam and its pilot during the Eve Wars," Instructor H told him.
> 
> "We don't have any personal information about the pilot too --- his name, his gender, what he looks like. But we found archives of his training," added Doctor S.
> 
> "You had basically the same training though we discovered that his focused more on his capacity to do and think two or more things at the same time and executing them efficiently. And aside from burying his emotions, he was trained to use these emotions at will, making him the best infiltrator, the perfect pretender. Also, Dekim put emphasis on that pilot's physical strength and endurance. Maybe his Gundam required more strength to pilot than the others," Dr. J informed him.
> 
> "As we further decode the files, we discovered the 6th Gundam's purpose in the real Operation Meteor. When the 5 of you descend to Earth after the colonies were dropped to create chaos there, the 6th Gundam, actually its pilot, has the responsibility to get you all together and lead you into battle. He was the designated leader, receiving orders directly from Damon himself. Dekim might be the mastermind but Damon was the strategist so he was the one who planned all the attacks. And it is also due to the fact that Damon didn't trust us," Master O said. 
> 
> "Well he's right in not trusting us. Because of us, the real Operation Meteor never happened. We altered the orders, letting you wage a guerilla war against OZ instead, telling you to follow your instincts. That's why everyone in the ESUN thinks of Operation Meteor as the colonies' retaliation, symbolized by the Gundams descent to Earth," said Professor G. 
> 
> "And because he's the leader, he's supposed to be the best among you. According to the files, he's quite exceptional, maybe as good as you or even better. Though I doubt it. I never did let them know the full extent of your skills nor give them full details of your training. I don't want them to worry or to panic," Dr J told Heero, chuckling. "You don't give out the full specs of your weapon to others do you? I remember that the only time Dekim had a say about your training was when he saw you bury that dog. And he never meddled ever since." 
> 
> "We also discovered that Dekim sent all information about the 5 Gundams and its designated pilots to Damon," Dr S informed him.
> 
> "So he knew about us. And we don't know if this pilot and his Gundam are still with Damon. The Gundam is enough of a problem, assuming he still has it, and knowing that Damon was part of the original Operation Meteor suggests that he has an army. That's why I haven't detected any military build-up for the past year, it's because he might already had one," Heero said.
> 
> Instructor H nodded. "Yes. That's why we have to hurry. If his plan continue to unfold, we are looking at another war." 

*********************************************END FLASHBACK****************************************************

  


"So those mad geezers are still alive, ne?" Duo commented.

"And you've been with them ever since," Sally said.

"Yes. I helped in the construction of the Gundams. I also helped in decoding the other files they downloaded but we are still not finished. Not only the encryption is hard, also there are too many files to decode, most of them dummy files. You spend some time decoding this file then once you open it, nothing valuable is inside, only garbage. So you have to decode another file, hoping it's the right one this time."

"Do you have any idea how large his army is?" Sally asked.

"No. And remember, we're just assuming that he has an army, we still don't have proof. Though it has a 98% probability that he has one. We hadn't been lucky enough to hack into his system or find where he is hiding. I confirmed that the underground base where I found Relena was not their main base." Heero stopped for a moment, a thoughtful frown appeared on his face. _Hmm. There's something wrong about that base,_ he thought. But he continued with what he was saying. "We're not even sure if and when he'll attack nor if he still has that Gundam with him. Or it's pilot. "

"Speaking of Gundam, for the past month a Gundam has been attacking the Preventer's secret military bases. The last attack happened last Wednesday night," Lady Une informed Heero.

"Are all 4 destroyed?" Heero asked.

Everyone was dumbfounded. "How do you know about those bases? They're classified Preventer information! I just knew it last Monday," Duo asked. 

Heero just shrugged. "Do you have any data on this Gundam?"

"Yes. We were present at the 4th base when the Gundam attacked. Though Trowa's and Wufei's Serpent suits were destroyed and the Tallgeese III damaged, we were able to record the fight, also transfer all the weapons and evacuate all the personnel before the Gundam blew up the base. The three other bases were destroyed too," Zechs told him. 

"That's one very powerful Gundam. It's going to pose a problem for us," Trowa commented.

"But with the construction of our Gundams, we will have a better chance of defeating this Gundam," Quatre said with hope in his voice.

Noin nodded in agreement. "That's true. And with the help of the remaining Preventer weapons, we could fight off Damon if ever he attacks."

"Are the Gundams completely restored? When will we able to use them?" Wufei asked.

"Anyday next week. The scientists instructed me to take you to L1 after Relena's birthday. Can you give me the data on the Gundam now? I'll send it to the scientists so we could know what we're up against," Heero said.

Wufei handed him a disk. Heero went to the console and contacted the scientists' secret lab. Dr. J's image appeared on the large view screen.

"What is it, Heero?"

"Our hunch was right. It was a Gundam that was attacking the Preventer bases. I'm now transmitting the Gundam's data to you."

Dr. J stared at the information. The other scientists came and studied it too. Murmurs could be heard as the 5 of them continued to look over the information. 

Dr. J shook his head. "This is bad," he said to no one in particular.

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked.

"Do you know this Gundam?" Lady Une questioned.

The 5 scientists looked at each other. Dr. J answered, "Im afraid so. It is called the Gundam HAVOC, the predecessor of Wing Zero, the first Gundam who ever had the Zero system installed in it." 

  



	5. And its name is HAVOC

Chapter 5   
  
**Disclaimer: ** I said it before, I'll say it again: I dont own Gundam Wing or Gundam G. But I own Athena, Professor Arbus, Damon and the rest whom I made up.   
  
This chapter is the technical part of the whole series. And relatively short compared to the others. I hope that I made it realistic and easy to understand. For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
**A. N. ** The internals of the Gundam HAVOC was patterned after the Gundams in Gundam G. So if you've watched Gundam G you have a pretty good idea what Im talking about in this chapter. This is not really a crossover, I just borrowed the idea and twisted it a little.   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 5: And its name is HAVOC**

  
  
  
  
  


"HUH?!"

"This is great. Just great," Duo mumbled sarcastically.

"So you designed the HAVOC," Heero stated.

"The 5 of us, Howard and Professor Arbus did. You all already knew about the Alliance commissioning us to design Mobile Suits for them, hence we made the Tallgeese."

"But in AC 175 President Heero Yuy was assassinated. In retaliation, we quit the project and went underground. We then agreed upon to create a new Mobile Suit that was stronger and more powerful than the ones we created before. That was when we started designing the HAVOC."

"And we succeeded. If truth be told, the Gundam HAVOC lived up to its name. It was like having the God of War descend on the battlefield and wreak havoc. We intended the HAVOC to be good both in long-range and short-range battles and for it to be able to defeat any vast armada singlehandedly. Its weapons were basically the same with the Wing Zero's with the added bonus of hyper jammers, two dragon fangs, flame throwers and 10 planetary defensors though it cannot transform into neo-bird mode. With this and the Zero system, the HAVOC was virtually invincible in battle."

"What were you thinking? How could you create a monster like that?" Noin exclaimed. 

"We created the Wing Zero and the other Gundams, didn't we? But we knew that the HAVOC was really a monster, that was why we didn't continue working on it. It didn't only pose danger in the battlefield, but to its pilot as well."

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked.

"Its system was very different from the other Gundams due to the way it was piloted. In order to operate the HAVOC, the pilot must 'synchronize' with it. Upon entering the cockpit from the back of the Gundam, the pilot would pass through a black fabric-like substance that hugs the contours of the pilot's body, somewhat forming a space suit. This fabric-like substance was actually the interface matrix of the HAVOC, the one responsible in synchronizing the pilot's mind and body with the Gundam itself, making the pilot the Gundam and the Gundam the pilot."

"So whatever the pilot's movements were, they were mimicked by the Gundam like they were one body," Trowa stated.

"Yes. The pilot feels and thinks that he is the one battling. So if he moves an arm, the Gundam moves its arm also. If he sees an enemy, he could jump, fly or kick it and the Gundam follows suit. This is advantageous in the sense that the pilot wouldn't be sitting down, gripping the control handles, pushing buttons and looking at screens. He only has to rely on himself - like any soldier does in an armed manual combat. If he thinks he needs the buster rifle or beam sabre he just grabs it from where he knew it is located on the Gundam's body and use it. If he wants to use the vulcans, machine cannons or use the jammers, he'll just think to himself 'fire vulcans' or 'activate jammers'. If he wants to use the dragon fang he'll just think of extending his arms to a certain direction and it will do so. "

"But the connection is 2-way, isn't it? Whatever happens to the Gundam happens to the pilot too. That's why you said the HAVOC also poses danger to its pilot," Wufei said.

"True. If the Gundam was hit, the pilot will feel like he's personally the one hit. He'll have a bruise or feel pain in that area where the Gundam was hit. If the Gundam loses an arm, the pilot's arm wouldn't fall off but he'll feel the pain of losing an arm. That's where the planetary defensors come in handy. This array of 10 remote controlled devices, like in the Mercurius, generates a protective field capable of deflecting both physical attacks and beam blasts. Of course there's a certain limit to what the planetary defensors can endure and deflect, as Duo could remember when he battled and defeated Mercurius and Vayeate. Like, if the HAVOC decided to go fly into the sun, the planetary defensors wouldn't be able to protect it," Dr. J chuckled. "Sufficient bombardment will make the defensors useless against physical attacks from dueling with a sabre or the like, but still be able to deflect beam blasts. Though as far as we know, there's no weapon in existence that can generate a blast powerful enough that can penetrate it completely, making the shield useless. Besides, the defensors' capability is connected to the pilot's endurance and we all know for a fact that there is a limit to what a body can endure."

"The pilot must be very strong physically. And he should be capable of fighting while controlling the HAVOC through his mind," Zechs assessed.

"Correct. The HAVOC places a great physical burden on its pilot and also a much larger mental burden since he has to control the HAVOC through his thoughts with the added stress of using the Zero system. The pilot must be physically and mentally strong, having a well-trained body, a clear head, a strong mind and determined will. So as you can see the pilot should be a superhuman or someone above human to be able to control this thing. If we could find a suitable pilot then the HAVOC will truly be invincible, making the pilot feel that he's really the God of War. Otherwise the pilot will go berserk with too much mental and physical stress and die just minutes of being inside the suit. With these conclusions, we decided to drop HAVOC and start designing Wing Zero. "

"If you decided not to build HAVOC, how come there's a Gundam HAVOC attacking presently?" Sally asked.

"I don't know though I have my suspicions. We we're just beginning the design of Wing Zero when Professor Arbus died. His house exploded but his remains were never found, and with his death the blueprint of the HAVOC was lost. The HAVOC is practically his brainchild so he was the one who got to keep its original, not to mention one and only design plans."

Heero was able to put together the pieces of the puzzle. "Hn. Based from the archives, the pilot under Damon was trained to be able to handle something like the HAVOC. So, Damon managed to get the plans, before or after the explosion, making the HAVOC the 6th Gundam." 

"And whoever was piloting it is our leader," Quatre said.

"Supposed to be leader, Quatre. We never did go through the real Operation Meteor," Duo corrected him.

"But nobody can just use the HAVOC's blueprints and build it. Only one person has the ability and knowledge to build the technology for the interface matrix," Dr. J informed them. "So that means---"

"Professor Arbus didn't die in that explosion. He's alive. He's the one who made the HAVOC and he's working for Damon," Lady Une said.

"But even with the our Gundams in the scene, defeating the HAVOC is near to impossible if I heard everything Dr. J said about it correctly," Trowa said.

"I think that the original HAVOC has the Zero system, the one we fought has not," Zechs told them.

"How do you know that it doesn't have the Zero system? Dr. J just said that the HAVOC has it installed," Duo asked him.

"Well, anyone who used the Zero system and fought another who is using the Zero system too will be able to know, right Zechs?" Quatre said.

"Right. First, I used the Wing Zero to fight Heero in Epyon. Then I used Epyon to fight Wing Zero. I can say that I have sufficient experience to tell whether or not my enemy is using the Zero system," Zechs answered.

"Let's see the battle again," Lady Une suggested. Half of the screen showed the fight while the other half still had Dr. J's image on.

"Zech's is right. That HAVOC doesn't have the Zero system," Heero informed them.

"I agree," Quatre amended. 

"Ok, Zero system gurus please enlighten us why," Duo said.

"I noticed that he was not predicting my moves the way the Zero system predicts it. He was just like any soldier or pilot in battle," Zechs answered. Trowa and Wufei looked at each other then nodded their agreement.

"Is that possible?" Sally asked Dr. J.

"Hmm. I think so. Removing the Zero system will make the HAVOC a less threat to the pilot, though the pilot should still be physically strong and has a clear mind," is Dr. J's answer. 

"Even without the Zero system it still is a danger," Trowa said.

"And still difficult to beat," Duo added.

"I think that the Gundams are sufficient enough to subdue it though getting through the planetary defensors will be quiet a challenge, the HAVOC's planetary defensors being stronger compared to the Mercurius. Also, the Wing Zero is a match to HAVOC so if worse comes to worst, the one who will emerge the victor is the better pilot." Everyone looked at Heero. 

"How's the reconstruction going?" Heero asked Dr. J.

"Well. Your Gundams will be ready on Wednesday and I'll be expecting you 5 to be here by then. Is that all? If it is, I better get back to my work. Damon is way ahead of us." 

"Hn." And with that the call was disconnected.

"So what do we do now?" asked Noin.

"We wait," is Heero's answer. 

"And we don't have to wait very long. The Peace Summit is on Monday. He'll attack then," Wufei said.

"We're going to use the Summit as a bait?" Noin asked again.

"The Peace Summit will decide the fate of Colonies and Earth's relations. Damon wouldn't just sit down and let the Earth and Colonies resolve their differences," Trowa answered. 

"And besides, there's nothing more we could do. We don't know where his base is or how large his army. We also have to wait for the Gundams to be finished," Quatre said.

"But we can't just wait and do nothing," Sally told them.

"We won't. We'll continue to search for the base. And we'll continue to prepare so we could be ready anytime he attacks. I'll put the whole Preventers on red alert. We must make sure that nothing bad happens on the Peace Summit --- I repeat, nothing. And I'll put Relena on an even tighter surveillance. She's a big key factor in Earth-Colonies relations and she will be targeted." 

Lady Une turned her attention to the 5 Gundam pilots. "Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei, you'll be in charge of protecting Relena 24 hrs a day from now on until this mess is over. The other bodyguards will be patrolling the whole Palace and will be available for back-up. We wouldn't trust anybody now. Relena will be safer with you 5 around. Quatre, please keep monitoring the Colonies. And Heero, keep an open communication with the scientists. They might have some information that could help us." 

She then addressed the whole assembly. "Wind, Fire and Water will help me with the Preventers, making preparations, searching for the base and weeding out our traitor. We'll be having a meeting everynight at 10pm in this room so that we could update each other. This room is secure enough, we are the only ones who knew of its existence, not even Relena knows about this. And more importantly, nobody runs off or leave without telling." Lady Une looked at Heero pointedly. "We need to work together if we want to end this threat. Understood?" Murmurs of ascent were heard. "Ok then. It's past midnight. We should all go to sleep. Meeting adjourned."

"Lady Une, why don't you stay here for the night? There are many vacant rooms and it's too late for you to drive home. Marimeia is safe enough with Natoia in your house," Noin offered.

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

"You too, Sally, Wufei," Noin said.

"Thanks," Sally and Wufei told her.

"Ok. Just follow me and I'll show you to your rooms. Heero, yours is next to Duo so just go with him. Good night everybody." And with that, silence dawned on the once filled room.

  



	6. A moment's respite

Chapter 6   
  
**Disclaimer: ** I. Dont. Own. Gundam Wing. Or Gundam G. Or any other thing related and copyrighted by Sunrise or other big Corporation. But I own Athena, Professor Arbus, Damon and the rest whom I made up.   
  
Warning: This chapter is an inside look on the characters-- their behavior, their relationships. Some might find it OOC but this is the way I see them. Sorry. And it might be a bit too long. For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
**A. N. ** For those who dont know, there are several cultures that regard a girl's 18th birthday (commonly referred to as a debut)as a very important ocassion. A debut is usually held in a grand place(i.e. a hotel) and is full of pageantry. It's usually quite expensive. This is a once in a lifetime event and it's important for the debutant to carefully choose her escort, oftentimes it's her boyfriend or special someone. If she doesnt have one (or her parents are strict) any family member, relative or friend will do.   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 6: A moment's respite **

  
  
  
  
  
**SUNDAY MORNING (Peacecraft Palace Garden)**  
  


Relena walked along the cobblestone path, savoring the moment. This was the first time in years since she enjoyed a Sunday morning outside her office, and without any bodyguards. She stopped in front of the roses, a sweet smile forming on her lips as she delicately touched one of them. 

From the shadows, Heero watched the slender girl that he had been following all morning. He promised himself that he wouldn't let her out of his sight for even a second, she was still in danger and she was just too important to lose. He silently studied her, noting every detail --- from the shimmering golden tresses on her head that were being caressed by the wind, the white sundress that reached just above her knees, hugging the contours of her body as the breeze blew, to the golden sandals on her feet. She really did change -- she was taller, about 5'5", her body filled out with just the right curves, her hair longer and if possible more golden, her face more mature. But inside, he could feel that she was still the calm, confident and caring Relena he met 3 yrs ago. He could still see the same determined expression in her eyes, though he noticed a trace of exhaustion and loneliness in them too. Heero's eyes softened when he saw Relena smile, making her whole face glow with warmth and sweetness as she touched a rose. He liked seeing her this way--- happy, carefree, not overworked and stressed the way he saw her yesterday. 

***************************************************FLASHBACK********************************************************

  
  


> **SATURDAY MORNING **  
  

> 
> As Heero entered the reception area, his eyes focused on the auburn-haired girl sitting on the assistant's desk just outside Relena's door. _So Relena has an assistant. Good,_ he said to himself. As he approached her, the girl looked up from the computer, her gray-green eyes meeting his Prussian blue ones. "May I help you?" the girl asked him.
> 
> "I'm here to see Relena."
> 
> "And what's your name, sir?" the girl asked again, her eyes boring into him, studying him.
> 
> "Heero Yuy." Suddenly, he saw something in the girl's eyes - recognition? Yes. And something more. 
> 
> "So, you're Heero Yuy," the girl said, slightly smiling. 
> 
> Upon hearing this, Heero grew alert, his eyes silently conveying a warning, his body exuding danger as he continued to stare at her. But the girl just ignored this and smiled again. "I've heard so much about you from Relena-sama. I bet she's going to be happy to see you. Just go on in, I won't announce you so it'll be a surprise." With that, she returned to her work. 
> 
> Heero studied her for a moment before proceeding to the door. He knocked first then turned the knob. He saw Relena in her desk, head bowed, reading some files. She was so engrossed with what she was doing that she didn't even look up when the door opened. Heero closed the door, still Relena didn't notice. He decided to just stand there, silently watching, waiting for her to acknowledge him. This was the first time he would see her face to face since he rescued her from the base last night. Only after a few moments did Relena realize that she had company. 
> 
> "Heero," she said, startled.
> 
> He noticed that she looked tired, her eyes weary, her skin pale. _She's not getting enough sunlight._ She looked thinner too. _She's working too much and she doesn't eat right,_ he told himself.
> 
> "Sorry if I startled you. Your assistant told me to just come in."
> 
> Relena smiled. But even her lovely smile couln't erase the look of exhaustion in her face.
> 
> "It's nothing. I just thought it was Athena. So, what brings you here?"
> 
> "Quatre told me to ask you if you want to come eat lunch with us. There's a new gourmet restaurant downtown."
> 
> Heero saw a shadow crossed Relena's face. He wasn't sure if he just imagined the mixture of joy, hurt and disappointment that flashed in her eyes. But only for a second. It was immediately replaced by a brilliant (yet forced) smile. 
> 
> "Thanks for asking, Heero. That's really **thoughtful** of **you**," Relena answered. Heero noticed that she put stress on 'thoughtful' and 'you'. "But I still have so much to do. My workload tripled since my kidnapping last Wednesday and Athena just came back from being sick. I can't afford to waste time traveling, ordering, eating then traveling back. Tell Quatre, I'm sorry. I'll just ask Athena to buy me a sandwich or something."
> 
> "Hn." And with that Heero turned and left the room.
> 
>   


**********************************************END FLASHBACK********************************************

  
  


Heero inched forward as Relena started to walk again. He saw her sit on a bench and look up the sky.

Relena looked up the sky and sighed. _If only I could stay like this forever._ She felt light, refreshed, happy. Even with the current tension in her life and the ESUN she couldn't help feeling content and safe. She was even looking forward to her birthday, which hadn't been the case for the past years._ I'm looking forward to the Peace Summit because it's important. But I can't wait for my party because I know it's going to be fun._

A girl's debut (18th birthday celebration) was supposed to be special. And she knew that her debut was **definitely** going to be special. Everybody would be there, all that matters to her most anyways --- Milliardo, Noin, Lady Une, Duo, Hilde, Trowa, Catherine, Quatre, Dorothy, Sally, Wufei and Heero. Especially Heero. "I'm glad you came, Heero," she whispered as she remembered what happened yesterday. 

  


***********************************************FLASHBACK************************************************

  
  


> Relena stared at the door, slightly ticked off and disappointed. "AAGGHH! The nerve of that guy! Coming in here, asking me to go eat lunch with him, with **them**," she corrected, "because Quatre **told** him to, then when I said no he just walked out without saying a word, without even saying goodbye!" She leaned backwards to her chair, trying to calm herself. 
> 
> "On second thought, he still asked me so that's good isn't it? He could just ignore Quatre and not invite me but he didn't. He still went out of his way to come here. It's the thought that counts right?"
> 
> "Then again, why did he just accept my answer without saying anything? He could force me a little, we both know that I really would like to eat with him. He could easily persuade me if he wanted to but NO, he just took my answer at face value and made his famous silent exit routine."
> 
> "AAGGGHH! I cant believe it! Im arguing with myself. And it's all because ---" Relena then realized something. "Why am I so ticked off? I know it's typical for Heero to behave this way, why am I so affected? What am I thinking? What am I expecting from him?" she asked herself. Her ramblings were interrupted when the door to her office opened. 
> 
> "Relena-sama, I'm going out to eat lunch now. Do you want me to get you anything?" Athena asked her.
> 
> "Yes please, Athena. A sandwich will be fine."
> 
> "Sandwich? You've been eating that for lunch ever since I started working here! For once today, I'm going to get you something else, something a little heavier perhaps."
> 
> "But--"
> 
> "And don't you argue with me. You're going to eat whatever I'm going to buy for you and you're going to finish it all up or else…"Athena looked at her threateningly.
> 
> Relena couldn't stop herself from laughing at Athena's stern expression. "Ok, ok, I give up. You're the boss."
> 
> "No.**You're** the boss, Relena. Hey, how did your reunion with loverboy go?"
> 
> Relena looked at her, confused. "Loverboy? Who are you talking about?"
> 
> Athena answered with amusement, "Who else? The guy that went out of here just moments ago, Mr. Heero Yuy. Now I know why you like him. He really is hot. Come to think of it, he's the hottest among your other guy friends and that is saying a lot coz those 4 are really gorgeous too. Though I think your brother can be considered a match…"
> 
> "Stop it Athena," Relena said, blushing. "For your information, he's not my loverboy. And I can't recall telling you that I like him."
> 
> "Haha. I've known you for more than a year now and every time you talk about him you get that faraway look in your eyes. And you should hear the way you describe him, it's like he's perfect. Now you tell me that you don't like him," Athena challenged.
> 
> Relena sighed as she saw the smug look on Athena's face that said 'GOTCHA'. _No use hiding it from her,_ she decided. 
> 
> "Ok, ok, you're right. I admit it. I like him. But don't get any crazy ideas like you setting the two of us up." Then her face became sad. "I don't even know if he likes me back," she whispered.
> 
> Athena saw the look on Relena's face. "Hey, don't be sad. I just met him today but I'm pretty sure that he likes you back. I can see it in his eyes and that's a big deal considering no other emotion is present there. But I did see it. Just wait, he'll come around. And I hope soon coz you two will make a cute couple."
> 
> Relena couldn't help laughing at what Athena just said. Heero and her --- a cute couple? _I wonder what Heero will do if he heard Athena say those words. Maybe he'll just find another Mobile Suit and self-destruct or jump from the 50th flr again without opening his parachute._
> 
> "Thanks Athena. Now hurry and go now so you could be back early with my lunch. Whatever it may be."
> 
> Athena laughed. "Ok but don't get too excited. I'll pick the best lunch for you yet. Bye."
> 
> Relena shook her head as Athena closed the door, a smile still present in her face. She then returned to her work. 
> 
> About 35 min later, she heard her door open again. She looked up, expecting to see Athena back, carrying her mystery lunch. Well, it was her lunch alright. But she didn't expect the person in the door to be the one carrying it for her.
> 
> "Heero! Why are you still here? I thought you went out to eat lunch with the guys."
> 
> "I'm eating lunch. Here. And you're going to eat with me." Heero saw that Relena's going to argue with him so he cut her off. "I don't care how much work you still have to finish. You need to eat. And besides, I threatened your whole kitchen staff to prepare this as fast as they can so you're going to eat it whether you like it or not," Heero said with finality. 
> 
> Relena just sat there, staring at him with wide eyes. She watched him place the tray on the round table near the window. 
> 
> "Well? It's going to get cold," Heero said to her after he finished setting the table. 
> 
> Relena stood up and walked towards the table. She then sat down opposite him and they started to eat. They ate in silence. Relena kept sneaking glances at him, questions whirling in her mind. Finally, curiosity got the better of her.
> 
> "Heero, how've you been?
> 
> "Fine."
> 
> "What were you doing these past years?"
> 
> "Studying."
> 
> "So, you went back to school."
> 
> "Hn."
> 
> "Did you have any job?"
> 
> "Part-time. Computer programmer."
> 
> "Oh. Good for you."
> 
> Silence again.
> 
> "Umm, Heero?"
> 
> Heero looked at her.
> 
> "Thanks."
> 
> "For what?"
> 
> "For saving me again. And umm," Relena looked at her plate, "for the birthday present." Relena looked up and their gaze met. "The bear and the earrings. They were from you right?"
> 
> Heero nodded.
> 
> "I really loved them. I just wish that you've given them to me personally. Were you there in my party?"
> 
> Heero didn't answer.
> 
> "It's ok. You're here now. You'll stay for my birthday?" Relena asked hopefully.
> 
> "Yes."
> 
> Silence again. They continued eating.
> 
> A certain thought nagged at Relena's mind. _I could just ask Milliardo but it wouldn't be the same. It's now or never,_ she told herself. Relena scrunched up all her courage and asked, "Since you'll be here, I, umm, can you, uh, can you be my escort?"
> 
> Heero stared at her.
> 
> Relena laughed nervously. "What I mean is, can you escort me on my 18th birthday party? Tradition requires that the debutant should have someone to accompany her throughout the whole party, posing for pictures, greeting guests, dancing with her. It's like a boy-err a bodyguard, YES a bodyguard. Aside from the dancing and socializing part. If it's ok with you."
> 
> Relena looked down and waited for his answer. _Just smile if he says no. It's not like he didn't reject you before. Just smile if he says no,_ she kept chanting in her head.
> 
> "Ok."
> 
> Relena snapped her head up and looked at him. She tried to see the expression on his face but his head was bowed and his wild bangs were blocking her view._ Am I hearing things? Did he really say yes?_ (No, he said ok, hehe. Sorry bad joke.) 
> 
> "Great," Relena told him simply though she was trying her best not to grin from ear to ear.
> 
> They continued eating in silence. After a few minutes, they were done. Heero stood up and put the remains of their lunch in the tray. He was on his way to the door when Relena called him.
> 
> "Heero?"
> 
> Heero stopped and turned to look at her.
> 
> "Thanks for eating lunch with me," she said smiling.
> 
> Heero gave her a grunt as a response then left.
> 
>   


*****************************************************END FLASHBACK**************************************************

  
  


Relena's reverie was stopped when she heard a familiar voice shout "Relena!" She turned to look around and saw Hilde running towards her. Behind Hilde were Dorothy and Catherine walking in an even pace.

"Hilde!" Relena stood up and hugged one of her bestfriends. "Did you guys just arrive? How's the flight? How are you?"

"One question at a time please," Hilde joked. "Yes, we just arrived from the airport, we haven't unpacked yet! We wanted to see you first. The flight was fine and I'm just doing great! How about you?" Hilde asked cheerfully.

"Just great! Can you believe it? I actually said I'm great." She then turned to Dorothy so she could hug her next. "Looking good, Dorothy. I see that Quatre has been taking good care of you."

Dorothy blushed and smiled slyly. "It's good to see you, Relena. I can't wait for the party. We're going to have a blast."

Catherine stepped up. "My turn," she said as she hugged Relena. 

"Hi, Cathy." 

"Hi to you too. Hmm, you look thinner than the last time I saw you, Relena. You're not taking care of yourself," Catherine told her. Catherine was like an older sister to Relena - a cool, fun-loving older sister. "But you're still as pretty as me so it's ok." Everybody laughed. 

"Come on, Cathy. You know that I would never be as pretty as you," Relena said as she made a face that made everyone started laughing again.

  


Heero started to walk away as she saw Hilde, Catherine and Dorothy approached Relena. He knew that there'll be a private conversation among them, 'girltalk' as Duo dubbed it so he shouldn't be eavesdropping on them. Besides, he knew that Relena was safe with them for now.

  
  
**INSIDE THE PALACE (in the study overlooking the garden)**  
  


Wufei peered through the window, eyeing the 4 girls hug each other, laugh and talk in the garden. "Those onnas are too noisy," he complained. "It's a mistake to let them come early. They'll just be an added burden to us and they might get in the way of our mission."

"How come? I think that it's a good idea they are here. They'll make Relena happy. It's her birthday, she should be thinking of parties, gifts and friends instead of how to maintain peace or avoid being killed," Quatre said. "And they would liven up the house." 

"They wouldn't be an added burden since those girls can protect themselves in their own way. And having them around would make it easier for us to watch Relena, they'll be with her and she wouldn't try another disappearing act again." Trowa said. He silently studied Wufei. "That's what bothers you, isn't it Wufei? You can't accept the fact that those girls are strong in their own way and that you're starting to care for them. Not just those 4 but also the rest of our girls."

"Where did you get that preposterous idea, Trowa?" Wufei asked indignantly albeit taken aback with what his usually silent comrade just said. "Our girls? I care for those onnas? And they can take care of themselves? Please," Wufei snorted. "We always end up protecting them."

"Come on Wufei, you know that Trowa has a point. Hilde can fight and pilot a Mobile Suit. Dorothy operated the Zero system controlled Mobile Dolls that gave us hell during the Eve Wars and managed to stab Quatre." Quatre cringed. "Sorry, pal. Anyways, Catherine can pin you with her knives even with her eyes closed. Noin was the second best soldier after Zechs in the Lake Victoria Academy, an instructor there too and once head of the Sanc Kingdom guards. Sally has been our ally since the beginning of the Eve Wars, fighting OZ with her own resistance group which is by the way I assume you already knew, hehe." Wufei glared at him. "Er, to continue, Lady Une was Treize's second in command, you know how really efficient she was in obeying his orders and now the head of the Preventers. Even Ms. Pacifist there was able to fire a gun once, as Noin told me, when Relena shot Lady Une's rose. And you know how strong and determined she is," Duo told him. "Admit it. You can readily see that those girls are pretty tough just by being able to stand up to us," Duo said, grinning.

"Also, you know that we protect them because we **want** to, not because we have to. This is due to the fact that we don't want them to get hurt," Quatre added.

"How can you say all these things?" Wufei asked incredulously. "How can you know this about me when I just barely admitted them to myself?" he whispered.

His 3 friends gave him a knowing look. "Because that's what we're feeling so we know that that's what you're probably feeling too. The 5 of us are so alike, it's no wonder that fate led us to meet each other," Quatre answered.

"Don't worry Wufei. Admitting that you care for others and that you will do anything to protect them, even if they are girls, is not a weakness. I know that even Heero feels the same way as the rest of us," Trowa informed him.

"Well in that case," Wufei stopped then frowned. "Hey, didn't you miss your onnas for the duration of your stay here? Why don't you snatch them away from each other and have some quality time together so they will stop yakking and leave us in peace?" Wufei suggested.

The other three laughed. "Nah. We'll leave them with each other for the time being. This is their only opportunity to have a girl bonding session. We'll have our chance for a private time later tonight," Duo answered mischievously.

"Besides it is very possible that they'll drag us to the mall with them later after their girltalk," Trowa told them.

Duo and Wufei grimaced when they heard the word 'mall'. For them, 'mall' and 'girls' when combined spell TROUBLE.

"Man, I know this is coming! We have to go with them whether we like it or not, those girls won't let us off the hook that easily. And because we are Relena's bodyguards, we have to go wherever she goes. We don't have any other choice," Duo cried.

Quatre laughed. "Shopping is not really that bad."

"You have 29 sisters, Quatre! And that onna of yours is a shopping demon. You're used to it," said Wufei. 

"That's the strange thing. With those reasons alone, shouldn't Quatre be as wary or even more so than the rest of us with regards to shopping?" Trowa asked.

Duo then said, "Hey, I just realized something."

"What?" Quatre asked. _Maybe he got an idea how to track down Damon._

"Cathy is Trowa's sister,"Duo answered. Quatre and Trowa sweatdropped. 

"We already know that, baka," Wufei said.

Duo ignored him. "That means Trowa is the only one who doesn't have any girl here. But don't worry buddy, I think I already found the perfect girl for you. Her name is Midii Une, I just met her last year. She's really cool and pretty too. I'll fix you two on a date as soon as this thing is finished." 

Trowa stiffened when she heard the name. He was going to ask Duo something but was cut off by an indignant yell.

"I don't have a girl!" Wufei exclaimed.

Trowa, Duo and Quatre exchanged looks.

"Duh. You do. Sally," Duo informed him.

"Actually, you and Quatre are the only ones who have official girlfriends,"Trowa said to Duo. "Heero and Wufei still haven't done anything to make theirs official. It's a good thing their better halves are patient in waiting for them."

"Sally is not my girl! And she's not my better half! Why do you always assume things about me? Injustice!"

Quatre smiled. "We're not assuming, Wufei. We can see the evidence with our very eyes. There's something special between you two. The way you treat her, talk to her, argue with her. We can see the subtle change in your eyes whenever you look at her, or when her name is mentioned."

Wufei was silent for a moment. He looked back to the garden. "Maybe."

"Hey, we should have recorded this. This is a memorable day! We managed to make Wufei admit 2 things that we knew he had a hard time admitting to himself much more to us," Duo said happily. "I hope we can do this to Heero too."

"There you are! Do you know where Relena is?" Sally asked, suddenly appearing at the door of the study. 

"Sally! How long have you been there?" Wufei asked, silently praying to his ancestors and all the Gods he knew. _Please don't let her had heard our conversation. And I promise not to threaten cutting Duo's braid again._

"I just came in, Wufei. Where's Relena?"

Trowa nodded at the window. "In the garden with the other girls."

"So, they're already here huh? I'll go join them then. And Wufei, call me if you're leaving, ok?"

Wufei nodded then watched her leave.

"See," was all Quatre said.

"And don't worry, she feels the same way about you," Trowa quitely told him. 

Wufei was getting tired of this heart-to-heart talk. Sure, it was nice to have been able to open up to his friends and was readily understood by them but enough was enough._ Are they ganging up on me? If Heero was here, I'm not the only one they'll be psychoanalyzing._ Suddenly he asked, "Where's Yuy?"

"You know that guy. If he's not shadowing Relena, he must be working with his laptop," Duo answered.

"I'll go find him," Wufei told them as he walked towards the door.

"You can try to hide but you cannot run from the truth, Wufei," Duo called on to him as his figure disappeared from the doorway. 

  
  
**8:15pm**  
**QUATRE AND DOROTHY'S ROOM**  
  


"I missed you, Quatre," Dorothy said as she hugged Quatre. She just came out of the bathroom, having changed into her nightgown.

"I missed you too, Dorothy," Quatre answered, kissing the top of Dorothy's head. Then Quatre cracked a smile. "And I just left last Friday. How do you suppose Duo feels when he's been away from Hilde for almost a week?"

Dorothy smiled and pulled Quatre towards the bed. They slipped under the covers and snuggled against each other.

"So what's new in the colonies?" Quatre asked after a while.

"Since Friday? Nothing much. Just the usual talk about the coming Peace Summit. Everyone knows its importance to the future relations of the Earth and the Colonies. They are all hoping for the best, having full confidence on Relena's diplomatic prowess, but they're also preparing for the worst. Then yesterday I heard talks about a Gundam that could fight for the colonies though I doubt that's true."

_So Damon is still bent in pursuing his plan,_ Quatre thought.

"What are you thinking, Quatre?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing dear. I'm tired, that's all. Let's go to sleep." 

"Ok. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Dorothy. Sweet dreams," Quatre said as he turned off the lamp shade. As Dorothy snuggled closer and closed her eyes, she didn't see Quatre set his watch to wake him up before 10pm.

  
  
**TROWA AND CATHERINE'S ROOM**  
  


"Aren't you tired, Cathy? Let's go to bed," Trowa said as he approached his sister. Catherine was leaning in front of the window, gazing at the night sky. 

"The Earth is really beautiful, isn't it Trowa? Its beauty never ceases to amaze even after so many visits."

Trowa stood beside her and placed an arm over her shoulders. "Yes it is. By the way, how's everyone in the circus?" 

"They're all ok. Everyone's asking about you. We all missed you, you know, especially the lions." Then Catherine giggled. "And there's this new trapeze artist, Ardy, he's so cute."

Trowa raised an eyebrow at her. Cathy just laughed and leaned closer to him. "What have you been doing here, Trowa?" she asked quietly.

"Watching over Relena."

"That's hard work huh?" Cathy replied, smiling. "I know how stubborn Relena could get, especially regarding her safety."

Trowa didn't respond. He just continued looking at the stars.

"It's a blessing that Relena was found before the Peace Summit or else hell will break lose. The manager got worried when you asked for a vacation. He thought that there might be another trouble or war coming," Cathy told him. 

Trowa looked down at her and held her gaze. Cathy turned pale as she studied the expression on her brother's eyes.

"Trowa…"

Trowa kissed her forehead reassuringly. "We'll have a busy day tomorrow. Let's get some rest."

He then led Cathy to the bed. Cathy laid down but before she closed her eyes she mumbled, "Just be careful, Trowa. That's all I ask."

"I promise, sis," Trowa answered as he laid back and pretended to sleep, patiently waiting for 10:00 to come.

  
  
**DUO AND HILDE'S ROOM**  
  


Duo whistled as he watched Hilde get out of the bathroom clad in her nightie. "Looking good, babe."

Hilde smiled seductively as she slipped in next to Duo. "Have you been a good boy, Duo?"

"Yup. Scout's honor. The only girl I spent the whole week staring at was Relena since it's my job. And the only other females I came in contact with were Noin, Sally and Lady Une all of which you know are already taken."

"Lady Une?"

"Well yeah, she's still loyal to Treize's memory, isn't she? Though Treize is dead, it still means that she belongs to someone, that she's taken, hehe."

"Duo, that's not nice," Hilde said as smacked him by the shoulders. Then she started chuckling at Duo's so called logic.

"By the way, do you know that Relena asked Heero to be her escort tomorrow night and he said yes?"

Duo grinned. "What do you know, Heero, Relena's escort. I sure wish I've seen the look on Heero's face when she asked him and when he agreed. Hehe. That'll be a real Kodak moment." Duo frowned. "Though if you're not the one who informed me, I wouldn't have believed it with the way Relena was behaving around Heero tonight at dinner."

"Yeah, that's pretty strange. It looked like Relena was avoiding Heero. But we just spent the entire afternoon talking about him. Then just hours after she's mad at him?"

"Maybe she has PMS," Duo suggested. 

"You always blame irrational female behavior with PMS, Duo," Hilde said.

"Am I wrong?"

Hilde's going to answer back when suddenly a thought came to her. "Does Relena know how Heero found her?"

"No. Why?"

"That's it! I think Relena heard me and the other girls talking about how smart Heero is for giving her earrings that are really a tracking device. We thought she already knew. And she didn't react or say anything."

"Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise," Duo replied as he touched Hilde's cheek.

"Knowing Relena, she'll think that the only reason Heero gave her the earrings is to find her if ever she was kidnapped."

Duo didn't answer, he just continued caressing Hilde's cheek. He looked at the clock. _Hmm, I still have more than an hour and half…_

"Let's forget about Heero and Relena. I would rather talk about us. You don't know how much I missed you, Hilde."

"I do, Duo. Because that's how much I've missed you too." Duo smiled as he leaned over and gently captured Hilde's lips with his own. 

  
  
**ZECHS AND NOIN'S ROOM**  
  


Zech's looked at his wife who was lying beside him. She was stroking his hair lovingly though he knew that her mind was somewhere else.

"Why so silent, Noin? What are you thinking?"

"Well, I'm just thinking how happy I am that we were able to come on Relena's debut. Also, I feel content to be here with all of our friends," she answered. Then she looked at her husband.

"Zechs, do you think we could stay for a while longer after this whole thing blows over? The Terraforming project is going smoothly and it is nearly finished anyways so…"

Zechs smiled at her. "If you want to, then the answer is yes. You know that I couldn't deny you anything."

Noin hugged him. "I know. But I also know that that's not the only reason you agreed to stay longer," Noin said knowingly. 

Zechs looked at her, confused. "Other reason? What other reason?"

"That personally, you also like to stay. You've missed Relena terribly and you want to catch up with each other's lives. Aside from Relena, you also missed the company of our other friends."

"I admit that I missed Relena, that thing is pretty obvious. But missing the others? What are you talking about?"

"Don't deny it, Zechs. Even from the start, you liked the Gundam pilots. You're fighting at opposing sides at that time, true, but you've always admired and respected their courage, their strength, their purity. Especially Heero. You and Heero are alike in so many ways that you two would ever admit. You just lashed out on him when it comes to Relena."

Zechs was silent for a moment as he stared at the ceiling. He sighed. "I guess you're right. I just get jealous sometimes." He then looked at Noin. "There, I said it, satisfied?" he chided softly. "Now enough talk. We have plenty of time to rest before the meeting tonight."

"Do you think those boys could sneak out and attend the meeting without their girls noticing?"

Zechs chuckled. "Yep. No doubt about it. They've been through worse, remember? Even if Relena didn't suggest to go to sleep early, those boys will still find a way to make their respective counterparts sleep before 10pm." 

"Maybe we should had gone back with Lady Une, Sally and Wufei to the Preventer's Headquarters after everyone decided to go to bed. They might need our help in the preparation for tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it. We spent the entire day there, Wufei and Sally spent the whole day relaxing with friends. It's their turn. And they'll be back at 10 so if ever they need our assistance, they could tell it to us by then."

"If you say so. I love you," she said as she kissed him goodnight. 

"And I love you. I'll wake you up before 10." 

  
  
**RELENA'S ROOM**  
  


Relena absently brushed her hair as she sat in front of her dresser mirror, her thoughts wandering to the events that transpired earlier. "What a perfect day this is," she said happily. After spending time with Hilde, Sally, Dorothy and Catherine in the garden they went to the mall, managing to drag the 5 boys with them. She couldn't help smiling at the thought. 

"Those poor guys. Who would have thought that the most feared, most skilled and most dangerous men in the whole ESUN known only to everyone as the Gundam Pilots can be bullied by girls? It's a good thing their identities were never revealed and all information about them destroyed or else they would have been embarrassed." Yep. Not only did those 5 carried boxes and boxes and bags and bags of clothes, shoes and accessories, they also went everywhere the girls went into --- boutiques, salons, lingerie shops even the home decor stores! The only place they managed to stay away from was the girls' restroom. "But they were good sports. Never heard them complain, not even once." Even the usually grumbling Wufei never said a word. _Those guys are sweet. They went out of their way to make this day perfect for us. They really wanted us to enjoy. Hmm, or maybe they enjoyed it too as much as we did._

After the mall, they went back to the house and took a swim on the Olympic size pool. Then the girls spent another hour of girltalk before dinner, waiting for Milliardo, Noin and Lady Une to come back from the Preventers HQ. After dinner, the 13 of them continued their conversation in the drawing room for another hour or so before Relena suggested that they retire early. Not only do they need all the rest they could get for the big day tomorrow but also she knew that most of them were looking forward in having their time alone.

Relena yawned. She felt tired. _I didn't know that shopping is this exhausting,_ she said smiling. Her smile turned into full-blown laughter when she remembered their girltalk. They finally made Sally admit that she was falling for Justice boy himself! And this revelation made them tease Sally mercilessly all day (subtly of course). Then they set their sights on Catherine when she told them about this really cute new trapeze guy who spent the whole week flirting with her. But they quickly turned their attention on Relena when they learned that Heero agreed to be her escort and that she had asked him herself. 

Relena suddenly stopped laughing, a scowl forming on her face as she remembered something that made her day less perfect. 

"I have to talk to him about the earrings," she told her reflection. "I want to know the truth." She yawned again. "Well, time for bed," she said as she stood up.

She slipped under the covers and stared at the ceiling of her 4-poster bed. _This is the first time that I'll going to sleep early,_ she thought. _It's not even 8:30 yet._ Her workload, insufficient sleep, the trauma of the past month and her kidnapping were finally taking its toll on her. Her eyes got heavy and after a few moments, she was fast asleep.

  


*********************************************************************************************************

  
  


_It was dark. She was running. But she couldn't see anything besides the darkness. She didn't know why she was running. She didn't even know where she was headed or where she was from. Yet it seemed like she had been running forever. _

Suddenly, she saw something ahead of her--- a light? Yes. She started to run faster. But she just can't seem to reach it. It was like teasing her, tormenting her, making her yearn for it then drawing farther back. 'I will not give up,' she said to herself. 'I will reach it eventually and nothing can stop me.' 

Maybe it was her determination. Maybe it was her strength. Or maybe the light was not as far away as she thought it was. Whatever the reason, she finally reached it. And what she saw took her breath away. It was so beautiful! She saw a vast garden, five times more beautiful than the one in her palace. She couldn't believe that there existed something as pure and serene as this. She ran and touched and felt and laughed. She closed her eyes and whirled around, ecstatic. She then stopped whirling, took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

She gasped. Instead of the trees and flowers, she saw ruins, MS wreckage, mangled bodies and blood. Blood was everywhere. Backing away, she began to tremble. 'What is this? What happened?' 

She then saw something in the sky. The sun was obscuring her view, casting a grim shadow over it. She could only see an outline of a big creature with wings. She realized that it was swooping down towards her. Only after a few moments was she able to see it clearly. 'Wing Zero? Heero?' She wasn't sure. It definitely looks like Wing Zero but it was black. And it was continuing its descent towards her, beam sabre in hand. She stood rooted in place, her legs failing her, her heart beating faster. It was coming nearer, and nearer, beam sabre ready to strike, nearer still then ---.

Relena woke up with a start and jolted to a sitting position. "J-just a dream," she muttered, relieved. A nightmare in fact. _But is it just a dream? Or a warning --- a premonition? _

She looked at the clock on top of her bedside table, the time 11:00 glowing in the dark. She smiled softly as her eyes focused at the 2 other things on top of the table. She reached out and gently touched the button nose of a brown bear, then the button nose of a white bear. Suddenly, she felt a prickling sensation at the back of her neck --- a familiar prickling sensation. Her eyes roamed around her darkened room, finally settling on the dark figure standing by her balcony door. Not alarmed even a bit, she took her time studying her midnight visitor, the moon somewhat illuminating him. 

_He changed, and yet not,_ she thought. He was taller, his shoulders broader, his body lean yet muscular (but not in that bulky, result-of-too-much-gym-weightlifting-and-workout sort of way). He was still wearing that familiar green tank top, denim jacket and jeans she had seen him last, his chocolate brown hair unruly as ever, his Prussian blue eyes as intense as the first time she was lost in their depths. His impassive face, though more mature, retained a little of its boyish quality she remembered well. How she wanted to reach out and touch him, run her fingers through his crop of unruly spikes, to hold him close and feel his warmth, to kiss him. But she didn't. Her need to draw some answers from him first held her other desires at bay.

"What are you doing here, Heero?" Relena asked him softly.

Heero watched as Relena slipped out of the covers and sat down at the edge of the bed. He saw the moonlight cast a silver glow on her face. "Checking in on you."

"Is that so? As you can see I'm perfectly fine. Now that you're done checking, maybe you should leave and let me go back to sleep," she said, almost like a challenge.

Heero didn't respond, nor move. He just stood there, watching her, his gaze unwavering.

"Well? Aren't you leaving? I'm tired and I still have a big day tomorrow. I need to rest."

"Then go to sleep. I'll stay here."

"I won't be able to sleep when I know that there's someone watching me," Relena said, somewhat irritated.

"I've been watching you sleep since the night I rescued you and you didn't seem to have any problems sleeping then."

Relena was surprised, but not that much. It just confirmed her suspicions. When she woke up today and yesterday, she swore that she could sense a lingering presence in her room like someone else had been there, with her, without her knowing. "Why? Why watch over me?"

"To make sure you're safe."

"Safe? Why are you so concerned for my safety, Heero?" Relena asked, her voice slightly rising.

Heero was taken aback by the question, though he never lost his expressionless façade. He answered flatly, "I promised to protect you, Relena, whoever your enemy may be."

Something snapped inside her. She stood up. "So you're merely keeping your promise? Is that it?"

"I don't break my promises. And I swear I'll do anything to protect you." 

"Is that why you gave those so-called earrings? To protect me?" she spat out.

"They're a birthday present, Relena."

"I don't think so. You blatantly deceived me as to think that you cared enough to give me a present on my birthday just so you could disguise a tracking device that will help you find me in case I get kidnapped!" Relena yelled at him angrily. "That's so insensitive! Are you counting on the fact that I'll wear those earrings constantly because you gave them to me? Why didn't you just tell me it's a tracking device huh? Why the secrecy? Why deceive me?"

Heero didn't answer. Instead he asked, "Is that the reason why you've been avoiding me during dinner?"

Relena glared at him. "So, you've noticed," she snorted.

"It worked, didn't it? It helped me find you. Why are you so angry?"

Relena was getting frustrated. "It's not about that, Heero. I was hurt when I learned that you deceived me. Aside from that, I want to know why you went to all that trouble protecting me. Is it because of your promise? Am I just a mission to you? Do you see me as a symbol that needs to be protected at all times like what other people think? I want to know the reason why you're dead-set in protecting me. Please tell me why."

Heero glanced at the 2 bears propped on her bedside table before making eye contact with her again. "I don't want you to get hurt," he answered simply.

"Why?" she asked again.

"You're important."

"Important to what? To whom?"

_To me,_ he said to himself. "To all of us," he told her. "Relena, I'm not protecting you just because I promised. I made that promise in the first place because I don't want anything to happen to you. In that sense, I regard you as a mission --- a self-imposed mission. About the earrings, I didn't mean to deceive you. When I first saw them I remembered you, that's why I bought them. I just thought of bugging them later on, as a precaution. If it means so much to you, I promise not to bug any other gift that I'll give you in the future." 

Relena was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe he said all of that! It was the first time she heard him talk that long about something personal, about something that didn't involve war and/or tactical plans. Even before, she wanted to know if his concern for her was personal, not just because he felt obliged to or that he regarded her as a symbol. And hearing what she always wanted to hear from him made her feel warm and cherished. "Are you telling the truth? Are you really protecting me because you want to, because you care what will happen to me? "

"Yes. Is everything clear now? Did I answer all of your questions?" he asked softly.

_Well, not all of it,_ she thought. There were still so many questions that she would like to ask him, other things that needed clarification. But they didn't matter now. They were irrelevant to the present situation. Besides they could wait for another time. She wouldn't push her luck, he might just clam up again and run. She knew that she was lucky enough to hear him admit these things to her. _This will do for now._

"Yes," she said, smiling quietly at him. Then she yawned sleepily.

"Go back to sleep, Relena."

Relena nodded and settled back under the covers. She then stole one look at Heero who was now sitting by the large couch near the balcony door.

"Goodnight, Heero."

"Goodnight." 

And with that, Relena slipped into a peaceful sleep.

  
  
It seems like this chapter has no bearing at all to the main story. Well, as the title suggests, I intend it to be a sort of a break from their usual tensed and dangerous life. I want to give the characters a day-off to enjoy themselves, they definitely deserve it. And I want to show the way they treat each other, like one big happy family. Especially the couples. 


	7. When HAVOC arises, everything ends

Chapter 7   
  
**Disclaimer: ** :sigh: I dont own Gundam Wing. :sigh again:   
  
Fun day is over. Now it's purely business. For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 7: When HAVOC arises, everything ends **

  
  
  
  
  
**MONDAY 8:45 AM**  
  


"Be alert. Radio everything suspicious," Noin ordered to the men standing guard within the palace grounds. For the Peace Summit, Noin was assigned by Lady Une as the head of the Preventer agents securing the area around the Peacecraft Palace while Zechs was the head of the guards responsible for securing the conference building and protecting the Congregation delegates inside it. 

"Yes ma'am," came the chorus of answers. Satisfied, Noin turned and started walking to the west end of the palace where the Peace Summit was going to be held in a converted Guest House. She just finished her 3rd round of inspection around while Duo, Towa and Wufei were doing their own inspection, aside from the other Preventers. _One can never be too cautious,_ she reasoned.

She was nearly on the door of the conference building when her commlink beeped. 

"Noin?"

"Yes, Duo. What's your status?"

"Nothing suspicious. Everything's fine here."

"Good to hear that. Over and out."

As she entered the building, her eyes wandered about. She smiled when she saw what she was looking for. A tall man with platinum blond hair turned his head and focused his icy blue eyes on her. She saw him dismissed the guard he was been talking to and made his way towards her. 

"Hello, Noin."

"Hello, Zechs. How are things here?"

"Things are going smoothly. There are no problems whatsoever."

"Good. I only have to wait for Trowa and Wufei so I could report to Lady Une."

"Be careful," Zechs said as he hugged his wife.

"I will. Be careful too." He kissed the top of her head before returning to his duties of supervising Preventer guards and ordering them to their positions.

She was on her way out when she saw Wufei leaning near the door. She stopped and asked, "Well?"

"All clear," Wufei answered.

She then turned to Trowa who was just entering the building. "Nothing. All clear," Trowa informed her.

"Well then, I can now report to Lady Une." She went to the nearest vidphone. Lady Une's image appeared on the screen.

"Noin. Is the area secured?"

"Yes. We inspected the whole grounds 3 times. It's clear. No bombs, no suspicious people, nothing. Zechs reported that it's the same inside the building."

"What about Relena?"

"She's fine. Heero never let her out of his sight the whole morning."

"Are all the men in position?"

Noin saw Duo enter and approach Trowa and Wufei. "Affirmative."

Then Sally appeared beside Lady Une. "Excuse me, Lady Une. We've confirmed that there are no leaks within the Preventer ranks. It was an outsider," Sally reported.

"That's good to hear," Lady Une said.

"If it's an outsider, he's one good hacker," Noin commented.

Sally turned her head and saw Noin's image on the screen. "Hi, Noin. How's your end holding up?"

"Ok, for now."

"How are the girls?" Sally asked.

Noin couldn't help but smile. "They're fine. They're lounging by the pool at the opposite end of the Palace. They'll be safe even if trouble occurs. But they're definitely bored. They couldn't wait for the Summit to be over so we could party already."

"As we all are," Sally chuckled. Lady Une smiled too.

"Hope there'll be no problems. Goodluck, Noin," Sally said to her.

"Thanks."

"The whole Preventers are on stand-by so if anything happens just call," Lady Une told her. "Goodluck."

"Roger." Then the call was terminated.

Noin walked towards the 3 boys. "I'll be outside if you ever need me ok."

"Ok. Just yell if you need back-up," Duo offered.

Noin smiled and went to her post. 

  


After Noin left, Trowa, Wufei and Duo looked at each other, their faces grim. 

"You feel it too huh?" Duo asked.

Trowa nodded. 

"Something's definitely going to happen today. Let's just hope that we made all the necessary precautions to stop it," Wufei said.

They saw Heero, who was stationed way in front, look at their direction then nodded at them. "Heero senses it too," Trowa commented.

"I think I should be going to my designated post. See ya," Duo said as he made his way in front of the hall, opposite Heero. Wufei stayed standing by the left side of the door while Trowa positioned himself at the right side, like two dark sentinels. They surveyed the hall, all senses alert, fervently hoping nothing would go wrong.

  


Even with all the Congregation officials and the horde of Preventer agents roaming around, the Conference hall still didn't feel crowded. It was so big, which was to be expected from a former Peacecraft 2-story Guest House. Way in front was an elevated platform with a podium, where Relena will be presiding the Conference. Below it were rows of tables where the President and other Congregation officials will be seated. Opposite the podium was the door leading outside the building where Preventer agents were stationed. There were also agents at the second floor overlooking the whole hall and in every nook and cranny of the first floor. That was why it was not surprising to see a lone figure dressed in nondescript jeans and green tank top leaning against the wall to the right of the podium. But one wouldn't notice him easily, for he blended well in the shadows, if not for his eyes and the way he held his body as if exuding danger. To the wrong person. 

Heero's eyes roamed around the room, like a predator hunting for his prey. _The enemy is here,_ he said to himself. _He will attack, I can feel it in my bones._ He saw Duo, Trowa and Wufei standing by the door and noticed the expression on their faces. _Hn, They know._ He nodded to them, silently telling them that he knew it too. His gaze went back to Relena who at the moment was talking with several delegates below the stage, Athena standing beside her.

  


Quatre sighed in relief when the Colony delegate sitting beside him stopped talking to him. He felt uneasy the whole morning but he couldn't figure out why. He glanced around the room and saw everyone was in position --- the Preventer agents, Zechs peering down from the second floor above the podium, Trowa and Wufei by the door, Duo at the left side of the podium while Heero was at the right and he himself was seated on the place assigned to him as a Colony Delegate. He saw Relena talking with the other officials, Heero silently watching her. Heero acknowledged him by glancing at him for a second then continued his vigil over Relena. _Well, no assassin could definitely get pass us now. About the bombs, Trowa and the others inspected the whole place so there shouldn't be any problems. I hope._ He then noticed the other delegates going to their seats, Athena saying goodbye to Relena and Relena going up the podium. Quatre glanced at his watch. 9 am. _It's time._

  
**AT THE POOL…**  
  


"Hey, I think the Summit already started," Dorothy said to her two friends. Clad in her one-piece bathing suit, she was peacefully sitting on one of the pool chairs sipping her drink.

Sitting beside her, Catherine adjusted the straps of her bikini top then replied, "Good. I hope it goes well. That way we have more reasons to celebrate tonight." 

Hilde hoisted herself out of the pool and grabbed a towel. "What you're really trying to say, Cathy, is that you hope the Summit ends early so we could snag Relena and the others for another day of fun."

Dorothy and Catherine laughed at this. "You really know me well, Hilde," Cathy said to her.

"I agree with Cathy 100%! Just think about it, another torture day for the boys in the mall, oops, I mean another fun day with them hehe. Hope the Summit finishes early," Dorothy said.

"Yeah, I'll like that too. But I'm really looking forward to the party. This is the first time I'll see Heero in a tuxedo. And as Relena's escort, he'll be forced to socialize with people. They would be dancing too. We'll surely have a good laugh about it, especially Duo," Hilde said, grinning. 

"And I don't want to miss the look on Zech's face when Relena and Heero go lovey-dovey," Catherine added.

The three friends laughed again. Then they heard a loud crashing noise.

"Huh?"

"What was that?"

  
**AT THE PALACE GROUNDS…**  
  


Noin looked up and her blood ran cold. "Oh my God…"

  
**AT THE CONFERENCE...**  
  


"HEERO! BROTHER! HELP!" Relena shrieked as a big metallic hand grabbed her.

"RELENA!" Heero and Zechs yelled at the same time.

The HAVOC ripped off the whole roof of the building, grasping a struggling Relena in one hand. The whole Congregation stood frozen, in shock and fear. Zechs immediately radioed Noin for back-up. He then saw Heero jump to the Gundam, trying to get Relena free but the HAVOC fired his flame throwers at him. 

"HEERO!" Duo and Quatre shouted as they ran towards him, Trowa and Wufei behind them. Luckily, Heero dodged fast enough but fell hard on the floor. The whole Conference building was on fire! The HAVOC then flew away, Preventer MS and shuttles on its tail. The Congregation officials finally regained their wits and made a stampede out of the building.

"Protect the delegates!" Zechs ordered his men as he ran down. He saw the four boys helping a limping Heero out of the building. When they were all outside, they saw Noin's men trying to put out the fire while the delegates were busy yelling at each other, surrounded by Zechs' men.

Noin rushed up to Zechs and the boys as they set Heero down. "I sent some Tauruses and shuttles to follow the HAVOC and retrieve Relena."

Zechs answered, "Good. Thanks, Noin."

Duo looked at Heero, "Are you---"

"Forget about me! GO! Save Relena." 

"First you should----" Quatre started to say. He saw that Heero's left arm was partly burned and he was holding his right shoulder.

"JUST GO! I'll activate the tracking device on her earrings then I'll follow you."

"We need some Mobile Suits," Wufei said.

"There are three Taurus suits left, go use them," Noin told them.

"You three go. I'll stay here and help calm the officials," said Quatre.

"Roger," Trowa answered. He, Duo and Wufei then ran towards the MS.

Zechs eyed Heero doing something with his right shoulder. "Dislocated shoulder?"

"And leg," Heero answered flatly. After he finished setting his shoulder, he then turned to his leg. Noin and Quatre turned green just by looking at him.

"Maybe you should let Sally check on that," Noin said.

Heero finished setting his leg then stood up. "No need. Just call Lady Une and inform her of the situation. I'll track down Relena." With that, Heero went towards the palace. Noin followed him inside so she could call Lady Une. 

Meanwhile, the yelling among the officials was getting louder.

"Is that a Gundam?!"

"I knew it! You colonists are planning to take over the whole ESUN!"

"That's not true!"

"What are you saying?!"

"You're nuts!"

"Am I? It's pretty obvious what you're trying to do!"

"Are you accusing us?!"

"You're the ones who are trying to subjugate the colonies! Again!"

The yelling continued.

"GENTLEMEN! Please stop this! Miss Relena wouldn't want you to be yelling and blaming each other!" Quatre interceded.

"What do you know, Winner?!"

"You're a colonist! Why would we listen to you?!"

"Can't you see what's happening? Someone wants to break the ties between the Earth and the colonies and he's succeeding because you're blaming each other for something neither of you do!" Quatre exclaimed.

"How can you be sure that these Earth aristocrats didn't cause all this?!"

"How can we be sure that the colonies don't want to take over the ESUN?!"

"Because like Miss Relena, I believe that we are all tired of war, that we all just want to live peace. And that neither the Earth nor the colonies will do anything to jeopardize the peace we just achieved."

"But that's the problem. Miss Relena isn't here!"

"She's the only one we trust!"

"Without her, there'll be no peace!"

"That's not true! If Relena's here, she's going to be really pissed off with you! She'll be mad with all of you, seeing how you're behaving!"

The officials stopped talking and looked at the Preventer agent who just yelled at them, his blue eyes flashing. He seemed kind of familiar. 

"My sister is not peace itself! Neither is she the single cause of peace! If she's here, she'll throw this fact to your faces! She wants peace and works hard to maintain it but she shouldn't be the only one responsible for it. How many times does she have to repeat that peace is something we all work hard to maintain? All of us are responsible, not just her, not just the Preventers, ALL OF US!"

"Sister?"

"You're---"

"Zechs Merquise?"

"Milliardo Peacecraft!"

"But you're supposed to be dead!"

"It's not important whether I'm alive or dead. The important thing is that we're going to get Relena back. And I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be fighting each other, jeopardizing the peace we all worked hard for just because of her."

"But she's been kidnapped by a Gundam!"

"And we all know that Gundams can only be built in outer space!"

"Are you implying that the colonies kidnapped Miss Relena?!"

"Maybe you're just framing us up!"

"Yeah. Maybe you aristocrats commissioned a Gundam to be built so that everbody will blame us colonists!"

"GENTLEMEN! Yelling and accusing each other won't solve anything. We could all settle this peacefully. I know that this has been a rough day for all of us so it would be for the best if we all go home and rest. We could continue the Summit at a later date, when we find Miss Relena," Quatre told them. 

Zechs turned to his men. "Escort the delegates to their respective destinations. Make sure that they return to their homes safely, here on Earth or on the colonies," he ordered. He then swept a gaze at the Congregation officials. "And remember gentlemen, being rational human beings as you are, you dont just jump to wage war head on when it's fairly clear that there's no need for it."

  


**********************************************************************************

  
  


"Where are they?" Duo asked, exasperated. 

"These are the coordinates the shuttle transmitted when they sent us the distress call. They're here somewhere," Trowa answered.

"Or maybe the HAVOC had already destroyed them all," Wufei said.

"Don't say shit like that, Wufei," Duo told him. "Be a little more optimistic." 

"You haven't battled this Gundam, Maxwell. We did. And it's highly probable,"Wufei answered. 

They continued flying around, looking for a sign of the HAVOC or the Preventer forces sent after it. 

"Damn! We lost them!" Duo said.

"Hey, there's something down there," Wufei told them.

The three Tauruses descended. They saw MS and shuttle wreckage scattered all over the place.

"I guess Wufei is right after all," Trowa said in a somber tone.

"But we still got an ace up our sleeve right? We can still track down Jousan."

"For once I agree with you, Maxwell. Yuy's gift really comes in handy," 

"Then let's go back and ask Heero for directions," Trowa suggested. From below, three Taurus suits could be seen flying in the direction of the Sanc Kingdom.

  
  


**********************************************************************************

  
  


_Where is he taking me?_ Relena asked herself as the Gundam continued to fly. _ I sure hope he's not planning to drop me._ She closed her eyes but still, she couldn't erase the image of how this Gundam destroyed singlehandedly (and I mean it literally since it's still holding Relena with its right hand) 20 Taurus suits and 5 armed shuttles. Aside from it being a Gundam, the Preventers couldn't use their full fire power for fear of accidentally hitting Relena so the odds were really against the good guys. She then realized that they were descending. She opened her eyes and saw a large military base in the middle of the dessert. As they landed, several soldiers ran to them. The Gundam put her down and the soldiers restrained her.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

No response.

"What are you trying to accomplish? We are living in peace, why are you trying to disrupt it?"

Silence still.

Relena was getting frustrated. "You can't keep me here! They will find me. Heero will find me!"

"We know. That's what we're counting on," a flat voice from behind informed her.

Relena turned her head to look at the source of the voice. Her eyes widened in surprise, "YOU!"

  
  
**PREVENTERS HQ 6:30 PM**  
  


The whole gang was crowded inside Lady Une's office, waiting for Heero to track down Relena's location.

"What's taking you so long to find her, Yuy?" Zechs asked.

Heero gave him a death glare as a response then continued typing in his laptop. 

"Maybe she didn't wear it. You know how onnas like variety in their accessories," Wufei suggested. Everybody stared at him with surprise, even Heero. "What did I say now?"

Quatre was the first one to recover."I can remember seeing her in the Summit wearing the earrings," he assured them.

"Hmm, maybe it's broken," Duo said.

"It's not. There's something jamming the transmitter," Heero answered.

"The HAVOC has hyper jammers, maybe that's the reason," Trowa informed them.

"So the HAVOC is still flying around with her?" Sally asked.

"Maybe. But it's also possible that they are holding her in a place with jammers," Lady Une said. She bowed her head, letting it rest on one hand. _Why are we so worried? She still has the earrings, we can easily track her down. But why is it that I can't help feeling that something will go wrong? God, no. Please help us find her._

"I just hope she's safe," Hilde whispered, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. Duo tightened his hold on her. "She is, babe. Don't worry about her. You know that she wouldn't want you fretting about her."

"Tonight is her birthday! It's supposed to be her happiest night!" Catherine sobbed in Trowa's chest. Trowa gently stroked her hair. "Ssh. It's alright, Cathy. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see."

"She should have been laughing and dancing, not locked up someplace. She didn't do anything wrong, why is she always being targeted?" Dorothy asked weakly. Quatre held her hand. "We'll find her Dorothy. Have faith."

Wufei looked at Sally. He could see that she was trying hard to fight back tears. _She's a soldier after all,_ he thought. _But she's also a woman._ Sally was startled when Wufei put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. She's a strong girl. She'll be back with us soon." Sally smiled at him as she hastily brushed away a stray tear from her face.

Noin, who was standing beside Zechs, held her husband's hand. Zechs looked at Noin snd squeezed her hands reassuringly. She rested her head on his shoulders and closed her eyes. She couldn't help a little smile form on her lips when she felt her husband's fingers brush away the tears falling silently on her cheeks.

"I found her," Heero announced. There was a slight lilt to his voice but his face remained blank. 

"It's about time," Zechs sneered, but visibly pleased too.

Heero chose to ignore Zechs' tone of voice. He was relieved that finally he tracked her down. "Lady Une we need some MS."

"Take as many agents and suits with you as you want, Heero," Lady Une offered.

"We'll only be needing 5 Serpent suits. Zechs will bring the Tallgeese. Taking more will just be a waste of vital resources."

"Are you sure? There's a big chance that you'll face the HAVOC, and we dont know how large his forces are."

"And their security will be tighter now that they have Relena," Noin added. 

"Heero's right. Our forces are limited enough as it is. We can't afford any more losses. We can handle it," Trowa said.

"Ok then, what are we waiting for? We have a princess to save," Duo said happily.

"Be careful," the girls chorused as the six men strode out of the room.

  
  
**IN THE DESERT**  
  


Six Mobile Suits quietly descended near a large military base. Six pilots jumped from their suits and quickly immobilized all the guards patrolling outside. Since they already knew Relena's exact location inside the base (thanks to the earrings) they decided to let just Heero go in and get her (much to Zechs' chagrin). The rest of them would stay outside, watch for the HAVOC or other enemy MS and cover their escape.

It only took Heero 5 minutes to dodge guards and find Relena's holding cell. After overriding the electronic keyboard to open the solid metal door, he quietly but purposely stepped in. "Relena?" he called out softly. _Hn. Déjà vu._ After a few seconds, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and focused on the content of the bed at the far corner of the room.

  


"What's taking them so long?" Zechs grumbled in his commlink. They were all waiting in their MS.

"Just be patient, Zechs. Heero's been gone for only 7 minutes," Quatre told him.

"Don't worry. Maybe they're just taking time enjoying a private reunion," Duo said, teasingly.

"Don't you find it strange? The Gundam is not here," Wufei asked them.

"Also, there are only a few soldiers guarding the base. There's not even one MS," Trowa added.

"Hey guys, I think I see Heero," Quatre called to them.

True enough, they could see an outline of a figure with brown hair crawling out of a window.

"BLOODY HELL!" Zechs exclaimed when all of a sudden they saw Heero's body flew out of the window as the whole base was engulfed in a huge explosion.

  
  



	8. Twisted beliefs

Chapter 8   
  
**Disclaimer: ** Dont sue me. I dont own Gundam Wing and Im not making any profits here.   
  
Thanks for reading up to this part. I hope your enjoying it. For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 8: Twisted beliefs**

  
  
  
  
  
**TUESDAY MORNING (Preventer HQ)**  
  


Sally yawned sleepily as she continued working on her terminal. She started early today and had a hard time sleeping last night after hearing what happened to the mission when Wufei and the others returned to the Palace.

  


*********************************************************FLASHBACK************************************************************

> Sally, Lady Une and the rest of the girls were waiting patiently in the living room. They all jumped to their feet when they heard the main door opened.
> 
> Heero was the first one to walk in. The girls were shocked when they saw him --- covered in soot and dirt, had bruises and slight burns on his face and arms, his clothes torn. But his appearance was not the major cause of their shock. There was something different about him. His face had its usual expressionless mask but his eyes were a different matter all together, conveying a mixture of anger and pain. Also, his body was unusually tensed, his hands clenching and unclenching. He looked scary and hurt, it was a bizarre combination. This was the first time they saw Heero this way, and they wanted to know why but were afraid to ask. Sally was the only one who had the guts to voice their question out loud. "Heero, what's wrong?"
> 
> Heero didn't reply. He just continued walking, never even looking at them, in the direction of Relena's office. Their attention shifted to the remaining five pilots who just entered the room. Noin rushed to her husband, noting the dark expression on each of the men's faces. "Zechs! What happened? Where's Relena?" 
> 
> Zechs stared at her for a moment, took her hand and handed her something. He and the others then headed to the sofa and sat down, looking drained and tired. 
> 
> The other girls crowded Noin and looked at what Zechs gave her. The color drained from their faces when they saw a note with Relena's shooting star earrings in it.
> 
>   

>
>> Heero Yuy,
>> 
>> So, the the rumors are true afterall. The Perfect Soldier has one weakness. I didn't know you got it in you to be so sweet --- rescuing her, protecting her, the lunch, the earrings. I know you're disappointed that you haven't rescued your Princess yet but unlike the first one, this is the real thing. I'm only interested in keeping her and not your 'gift' so I left them. 
>> 
>> D
>> 
>> P. S. I left another gift for you besides the earrings. It'll save you time, you wouldn't have to bother doing it yourself. Hope you like it.
>> 
>>   

> 
> Six pairs of questioning eyes focused on the men sitting on the sofa. "Where did you get this? What does this mean?" Noin asked.
> 
> "Yuy found it inside the base where we thought Relena was being kept. It's fairly obvious that the first kidnapping was staged," Zechs answered evenly.
> 
> "What for?" Sally queried.
> 
> "To lure Heero out. It seemed that he just vanished last December, didn't he? And to know how we or Heero could find Relena," Trowa replied.
> 
> "What's the gift that he left for Heero then?" asked Hilde.
> 
> "The base exploded just as he was getting out. He's very lucky that he only got some bruises and minor burns," Quatre answered.
> 
> Catherine frowned. "How would a bomb save Heero time?"
> 
> "He blew up the base where he found Relena so Damon was expecting that he'll blow up this one too. But Damon beat him up to it, blowing the whole base himself," Duo explained.
> 
> "Hoping to take Heero with it. He's sick! He blew up his own base, he killed his own men just for what? A chance to kill one man!" Dorothy exclaimed.
> 
> "That Damon guy is playing some kind of a mind game with us," Wufei told them.
> 
> "But how did he know about the earrings? And the lunch? I wouldn't have known about it if Relena didn't tell us," Noin told them.
> 
> "There's a bug in Relena's office," Heero said as he entered the living room. He was holding a small circuit in his hand, showing it to them.
> 
> Lady Une was surprised. "Bugged? Impossible! We make monthly security checks in the Palace to look for bugs. And we haven't found any."
> 
> "You wouldn't be able to detect this one with the usual equipment. You search for it manually and you can only find it if you know where to look." 
> 
> "How did it get there? Who would have infiltrated the Palace and planted it?" Hilde wondered.
> 
> "Relena's office is the most frequented part of the Palace. Different people come in and out of it everyday, anyone could have put it there. The more important question we should be addressing is, is Relena's office the only part of the Palace bugged?" said Sally.
> 
> Everyone looked at each other, realizing the implication of that simple statement. "I'll send agents here first thing tomorrow to look for bugs," Lady Une informed them.
> 
> "What do we do now?" Dorothy asked. 
> 
> Silence.
> 
> "I was made a fool. Damon really planned out everything and by the looks of it, his plan is going smoothly. But I will not be made a fool again," Heero said icily. "There's nothing we could do now. You should all go to bed. I'll meet you in the conference room we use everynight at 6 am sharp." Dorothy, Catherine and Hilde frowned at this. Quatre, Trowa and Duo met their pointed looks nervously. "And I advise that nobody should talk about anything regarding this situation anywhere. The only secure places that we could use are the Preventers Headquarters and the secret conference room here. Do I make myself clear?" After confirming their agreement, Heero left and headed straight to his room.
> 
>   


**********************************************************END FLASHBACK*****************************************************

  
  


_Maybe that's why we still felt apprehensive even when we knew that we could track down Relena because of the earrings. Somehow, we can feel that we wouldn't find her that easily. And we didn't. Damn that female intuition, it's always right, _Sally said to herself.

She looked up from her terminal momentarily to sneak a glance at her silent companion. Heero had been working on his laptop for about an hour now since they arrived here. And judging by his present appearance and how the meeting earlier commenced, there was no doubt that he had been working all throughout the night.

  
  


**********************************************************FLASHBACK**********************************************************

  


> **UNDERGROUND CONFERENCE ROOM 6 am**  
  

> 
> When everybody was settled in, Duo decided to start things off himself. "We are on a dead end here, folks. What's our game plan?"
> 
> "I really hate the way he's always one step ahead, like he's playing a chess game with us. He has the advantage of having sufficient information about us that enables him to predict our moves with accuracy," Zechs said. 
> 
> "And we don't know anything about him. He hasn't even shown himself. All we know about him are the data the scientists gave us and those are not recent. For 2 years all that we saw were the effects of his maneuverings --- like seeing the ripples in the pond but not the stone that was thrown or the person who threw it," Quatre told them.
> 
> "He's sneaky and has no honor. I can't forget how he made a fool out of us all when he kidnapped Relena through that Gundam. He knew that we'd taken every security measure to secure the Summit but we were not expecting a Gundam attack. Injustice!"
> 
> "How can we fight an invisible enemy? One who had outsmarted us in anyway? Come to think of it, he's already ¾ of the way to his victory with Relena in his custody and the Congregation in turmoil. And all of this he accomplished by using indirect methods. Just think what will happen if he make a direct attack," Sally said.
> 
> "One must know the enemy in order to defeat it. True, we haven't seen him and he managed to outsmart us many times but we can analyze his moves and base our counterattacks on them. Damon knows that an immediate assault on the ESUN is a bad idea. The colonies are still a part of the ESUN, it wouldn't make any sense attacking the ESUN in the name of the colonies. It's like hitting yourself. That's why he planned on creating an atmosphere that will suit his intentions. All he needed for this is a catalyst. If dominoes are placed standing one right after the other, one push from the 1st domino is all it takes to create a chain reaction that will topple all of them down. Relena is the last domino and with her gone, the right atmosphere Damon wanted to create has been set. All that's left for him is to attack," Heero told them.
> 
> "You mean Damon will launch a coup any day now?" Noin voiced out. 
> 
> "Hn." 
> 
> "So he wants to party e? I'll give him a party. Though I hope that he waits until Wednesday so we could party full blast with our Gundams," Duo said.
> 
> "GUNDAMS!" Dorothy, Catherine and Hilde yelled in unison. Quatre, Trowa and Duo nodded at them nervously.
> 
> "I'll have the Preventers on red-alert. We will not be caught unprepared and we will protect the ESUN in any way possible," Lady Une said.
> 
> Always the logical one Trowa said, "But even with the Gundams and the whole Preventers on red-alert, we'll still be in a disadvantage. We don't know how large Damon's forces will be."
> 
> "There's still a way to stop Damon. He might have planned everything from the beginning but there are certain factors he hadn't included in his earlier calculations," Heero informed them.
> 
> "Like what?" Wufei asked him.
> 
> "He didn't count on the scientists being alive and for them to rebuild the Gundams. Also, he overlooked or simply ignored the fact that we still have another Peacecraft on our side. And another diplomat."
> 
> "I don't understand what you mean," Dorothy said.
> 
> "With or without the Gundams, Damon expects that we won't go down without a fight. We are soldiers and he thinks that fighting is all we could do. But what he didn't count upon is our learning of another way to fight, one that Relena has consciously or unconsciously taught us."
> 
> "You mean peacetalks?" Catherine asked.
> 
> Quatre answered as understanding dawned on him. "The ESUN, specifically the Congregation is like a flock of sheep. Relena is their shepherd and with her gone they would go astray. So we need to find a substitute for her, another figure head, that will guide them to peace and hold them together before Damon gets in the picture and lead everyone to war."
> 
> "That's where you and Zechs come in," Heero said as he addressed the two men.
> 
> "Huh?"
> 
> "What are you talking about, Yuy?"
> 
> "Ah, I get it. Quatre will do damage control in the colonies while Zechs will hold the fort here on Earth. It's like separating Relena in half. Am I right, Heero?"
> 
> "Hn."
> 
> "How can I do that?" Zechs asked at the same time Quatre said, "Why would they listen to me?"
> 
> "Quatre, you're a Colony delegate and a Winner. The colonists will listen to you. Aside from that, you're gentle, kind hearted and everyone knows you're sincere in wanting peace. Sincerity and the passion for peace are the qualities that will make them see the light. Like Relena," Sally told him.
> 
> "Zechs, you're a soldier, true, but you're also a Peacecraft. Aside from your name, your connections and your charisma as a leader, you're just as sincere as Relena and Quatre are in maintaining peace. You have the makings of a great diplomat, actually you're born for it. The Earth aristocrats and politicians needed someone to look up to and you're perfect for the job," Noin assured her husband.
> 
> "But why will having diplomats stop Damon?" Hilde inquired.
> 
> "With Relena in his custody, Damon is counting upon the breakdown of ties between the Colonies and the Earth. He could attack the Earth and declare that the colonists will now rule the ESUN and the colonies will back him up. But what if the Earth and the colonies patch things up? How could he justify the attack? Even if he succeeds, he'll not be having his victory as the avenger of the colonies. He'll be just another terrorist who stole the reigns of power. The colonies will not acknowledge him. In that sense he'll fail in his revenge so what's the use of attacking?" Lady Une explained.
> 
> "As for me, I'll do my part in helping to repair the Earth-Colonies relations in every possible way that I can. But are you sure that this will work?" Zechs asked Heero.
> 
> "Yes. This is an unexpected move, Damon wouldn't have anticipated it. He's assuming that we'll be concentrating in finding Relena. And that even if we try to settle the dispute between the Earth and the colonies, we wouldn't succeed. We need Relena or someone like her and to the best of his knowledge there isn't any," Heero answered.
> 
> "Sounds like a good plan to me. I agree to your strategy, Heero and I promise to do my best in convincing the Colony delegates that the Earth doesn't want to wage war with them. But first I have to call Rashid so he could send me a shuttle and ask him to arrange an audience for me with some colony delegates."
> 
> "There's no need for that, Quatre. I already arranged everything. Rashid told me that your shuttle will be here by the time we're done with the meeting. And I even arranged a few meetings for you with some colony delegates. Dorothy and Trowa will come with you," Heero informed him.
> 
> Everyone looked at him questioningly. 
> 
> "There's a big possibility that Damon's main base is in outer space. While Quatre and Dorothy do the talking, Trowa will do the searching." Heero then looked at Duo and Wufei. "You two will search around the world for the base, just to be sure. I already mapped out the most efficient path for each of you to take so you'll be able to finish searching the whole Earth in just one day. I'll stay and try to look over some data that will give us some clue where Damon is hiding and when he's planning to attack. The three of us will help Trowa search in outer space tomorrow when we get our Gundams and after we confirmed that the base is not on Earth."
> 
> "What about the rest of us?" Hilde said.
> 
> "You and Catherine can help the Preventer agents in looking for bugs all over the Palace while Noin and Zechs are away in a diplomatic mission. Lady Une and Sally will make the necessary preparations in the Preventers." He turned to address Zechs. "I already arranged some meetings for you with some Earth delegates. You and Noin are expected at Brussels at 9am. Your shuttle will arrive soon." 
> 
>   


************************************************************END FLASHBACK********************************************************

  
  


Sally noted the dark circles around Heero's eyes. He looked tired, pale, distraught. He was trying to hide it but she and the rest could tell how affected he really was. He was worried about Relena, maybe even more so than the possibility of another war. _Poor guy,_ she thought, _he's probably thinking that he failed her._ She saw Heero yawned. 

"Heero, did you sleep last night?"

"Hn."

"What time?"

"Around three."

"What time did you wake up?"

"Five." 

"Aren't you tired?"

"No."

Sally studied him for a moment, an idea forming on her mind. "Have you eaten breakfast?"

"No."

"Me, neither." She stood up and left the room. After a few minutes, she returned carrying a tray with a box of doughnuts and 2 mugs of steaming coffee. She placed the tray on Heero's desk and sat down beside him. She took a sip from one of the coffee mugs then said, "You need to eat, Heero. We need you to have a clear mind in order to find Relena. Besides, she'll not be happy if she finds out you're not taking care of yourself."

Heero looked at her for a moment, as if contemplating what she just said. He then lifted his coffee mug and drank from it. He continued typing with one hand. Sally carefully watched him and saw him ate a doughnut later on. When Heero finished his coffee, Sally could see that he was having troubles keeping his eyes open. After a few more minutes, Heero laid his head on top of the table and fell asleep.

Sally called a Preventer agent to help her carry Heero to the couch. When the agent left the room, she looked at him and whispered, "I'm sorry, Heero. I hope you'll understand that I did this only for your own good." 

  
  
**DAMON'S SECRET BASE**  
  


Relena's head snapped up when the door to her room opened. A tall, black-haired man, maybe in his late 30's strode inside the room.

"Expecting someone else, Princess?" the man asked, his brown, almond-shaped eyes flashing in a teasing manner.

Relena quietly regarded him. "No. As a matter of fact I'm waiting for **you.** Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" she demanded.

The man laughed with genuine amusement at the tone of her voice. "I'm impressed. Even kidnapped you don't lose spirit, ne? To answer your question, I'm Damon Luther. It's an honor to finally meet you in person, Relena Peacecraft." He then noticed the bewildered expression on her face. "Doesn't ring a bell? Maybe you're more familiar with the name DL Walker."

"You're DL Walker? The famed but mysterious consultant and advisor to the President and other Congregation officials?" she said wide-eyed. "I can't believe it."

"I wont force you to believe but it's true. It's a shame that I haven't gotten the opportunity to be your advisor or consultant. Not that you need advising anyways."

Relena studied him for a moment. He seemed sincere with his admiration. "But why? What's the meaning of all of this?"

Damon shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I was under the impression that you're smart Madame Vice Foreign Minister. Isn't it obvious? I want another war. A war that will avenge what the Earth has done to the colonies. And you will help me make that war."

It was Relena's turn to shake her head. She could't comprehend what humans find fascinating in wars, why they always seemed to be drawn to them. She couldn't understand people who won't be satisfied with what they already had, people who would choose to fight and suffer in a war rather than lead secure lives in peace. "Isn't it too late for your revenge? The Earth and the Colonies have been peacefully coexisting now. Everyone chose to forget the past and look forward to the future. Nobody wants another war."

"You're wrong. It is a false peace we all have been living in. You maybe are sincere in what you're doing but the other Earth officials? I doubt it. You're scarcely holding the threads of this so called peace with your bare hands! And without you, the truth will surface. The ESUN does not really care about the colonies. It's just another elaborate plan to rule us, to subjugate us, like the Alliance and OZ before it. How pathetic, trading one tyrant over the other! It's high time we take control! Peace will only be achieved if the colonists rule over the ESUN!"

"Are you mad? If you try to take over the ESUN you're no different, as you said in your own words it's like trading one tyrant over the other! There shouldn't be any rulers --- we should be coexisting. We **are** coexisting! And you're trying to destroy everything we worked hard for just because of your incapacity to forget past transgressions and your twisted need for revenge! The colonies are a part of the ESUN, just like Earth. They are contented and happy about it. If you wage war against the Earth or the ESUN, they wouldn't support you!"

"I know. But not because they're contented, rather because they're disillusioned. They were blinded, they didn't know that they are being fooled and used again. That's why I made a little meddling to make them realize the truth. And I'm happy to say that everything is going according to plan. When the time comes that we colonists finally hold the reigns of power over the whole ESUN, they will thank me for doing them such a big favor."

Realization dawned on her. "You're the one who caused the political upheaval in the ESUN, the bombings and the assassination attempts on my life. You want to break the Earth-Colonies relations so you can justify another Operation Meteor."

Damon smirked. "You're right, I'm the one calling all the shots here. But this is not Operation Meteor. The real Operation Meteor never happened and will never happen. The information about Operation Meteor II that I planted in the Preventers database is just a hoax. It's a part of my plan. This is my own operation, Operation Domino. Nice metaphor isn't it? The fall of one domino will cause the fall of the domino standing next to it until every piece falls down. And with your capture, the last domino has finally fallen, leading to the commencement of the last phase of my plan."

"But what's my role in this? I'm just the Vice Foreign Minister, I never had real power. Why would my capture mean anything or lead to something?"

Damon looked at her with compassion. "Poor girl, you don't really know how important or how influential you really are, do you? But that's part of your charm. Let me enumerate your usefulness to me. One, the whole ESUN looks up to you as the symbol of peace or peace itself. If you're gone, dead or otherwise, everyone will start blaming each other for your disappearance or death. Peace will crumble and there'll be chaos. Two, even if I succeeded in creating friction between the Earth and the colonies, which I did, you could easily patch things up. With you gone, nobody can salvage it even how hard they try and you know how crucial this break-up is in order for my plan to succeed. Three, your influence can help me gain trust and control over the Earth and the colonies. You will entrust me with the duty and honor of being the supreme ruler of the ESUN. Lastly, you're a bait and in a sense, my most powerful weapon against your brother and those treacherous Gundam pilots."

"I will never entrust you with anything! I will never allow myself to be used!" Relena yelled. She then stopped as his other words sank to her mind. _I was already used. I was already used to lure out Heero and the rest. _ "What do you mean treacherous? The Gundam pilots never betrayed anybody. Actually they saved us twice! They are heroes!"

"No! They were never heroes! They are traitors! Those brats were ordered to fight for the colonies not for the Earth. And your brother, who had forsaken the planet of his birth and swore allegiance to the colonies betrayed us too! They will pay for their betrayal. All of them!"

"They are not traitors! They did what they think was right at that time. They didn't betray the colonies. They didn't want to fight but they had to. They fought to save the whole ESUN, not only the Earth. They fought to protect, to save. They fought so we could have peace. And I can't say the same for you, who still choose to fight even if there's no need for it. You fight to destroy! And it's just because you're drowning in your own twisted ideals! The Preventers will stop you. The Gundam pilots will stop you, like they stopped the real Operation Meteor, OZ, the White Fang and Dekim. You will be stopped!"

Damon gave her a devilish grin. "They could try. I'm guessing by now that Heero Yuy has probably figured out my plan and is already devising some counterattacks. But I bet he doesn't know the most important details like where this base is, or when I will attack or how large my army is. Give him 2 more days and he'll figure it all out but I'm not a fool to give him that chance. Besides, how can they fight me? The Preventer forces are scarcely enough to fend off 1/5 of my army and the Gundams are no more. Though even with the Gundams I doubt that they stand a change against me. I've planned everything, I'm prepared in everyway. Nobody can stop me."

Relena glared at him defiantly. "No. Someone will. Even if everybody else fails, Heero will stop you. He has this uncanny ability to overcome impossible situations and triumph over every adversary. He always has given everyone hope. Don't celebrate yet, Damon."

"You really have strong faith in that boy, huh? Well, we will see about that. But don't expect your Prince Charming to walk in here and save you anytime soon. I still have a special treat for him. I always wanted to see how he measures up against my HAVOC pilot, my own Perfect Soldier. I always believed that only another Perfect Soldier can defeat **the** Perfect Soldier. Now I will have the chance to know who really is the best," Damon chuckled.

"You mean, Heero and---" Relena trailed off as she grasped the implication of Damon's statement. "C-can-may I talk to ---"

"My pilot?" Damon cut off. "Of course. Your wish is my command, Princess. But maybe later." He looked at his watch.

"I have to go now. Sorry if I have to cut our conversation short but I still have some things to take care of. Make yourself as comfortable as you possibly can, Relena. You're going to be here for quite a while," Damon told her as he turned and left the room.

  
  
**PREVENTER HQ 1 pm**  
  


Heero groaned as he opened his eyes then quickly stood up. _What happened?_ he asked himself as he scanned the room. The room was empty. _Hn. Lady Une must still be at the hangar making the necessary preparations and Sally probably went out for lunch. _ He then remembered breakfast as his gaze fell upon the coffee mug on the table near his laptop. _Sally. She drugged me. _Heero then narrowed his eyes. _Is she the enemy? _He shook his head. _No. She couldn't be. She's one of my oldest allies. She'll never betray me or the others. _He was walking towards his laptop when he caught a glimpse of his reflection on the nearby mirror. _Now I know why she found it necessary to drug me. I look like hell. I guess I should be thankful to her then. _He now felt rested and refreshed. He knew that Sally was right when she said that they needed him to have a clear head and that Relena would not be pleased when she learned he was overdoing himself. 

"Relena," he muttered. He gets worked-up thinking that she was still out there, alone, helpless. He failed her. He failed to protect her and now the whole ESUN was heading towards another war. _ I promise that I'll find you, Relena. Soon. Just wait for me. And while you're not here, I promise that I'll do whatever I can to maintain this peace that you, we, worked hard to achieve. And if ever I discover that they hurt you nor lay even one finger on you I swear I'm going to find the most horrible way of inflicting pain on them before killing them. _ With renewed vigor and determination, he continued on his work. 

  
  
**FIVE HOURS LATER…**  
  


"How did your search go?" Lady Une greeted as Duo and Wufei walked in her office.

"Not good. We've searched everywhere and we didn't see any sign of Damon's base or Relena," Wufei answered dejectedly.

"Yeah. We practically searched every corner of Earth and still found nothing," Duo added. He then saw Zechs and Noin sitting on the couch. "Hey Zechs, how's your first day as a diplomat?"

Zechs opened his eyes and grimaced. "Tiring. Exhausting. Boring. Did I already say tiring? Talking to those arrogant and stuffy bastards is harder than I thought. Fighting in a Mobile Suit is a lot easier and a lot more fun. I don't know how Relena can stand it."

Duo grinned at him albeit with sympathy. "Welcome to the wonderful world of politics my friend. I'm sure you'll get used to it, it's in your blood afterall. It's your destiny. You're supposed to be a Prince, remember?"

Zechs heaved a big sigh before closing his eyes again. He had been running away from that truth for a long time now. He believed that as bloodstained as he was, he could no longer consider himself a Peacecraft therefore unworthy to be the heir and ruler of the Sanc Kingdom. He decided to leave that responsibility to Relena, and being Sanc Kingdom's chief representative was just a cinch compared to being the Vice Foreign Minister. And luckily, Relena managed to somehow merge the two positions together, the dividing line between being the Sanc Kingdom's leader and the Vice Foreign Minister unclear, oftentimes just refering to both as her job as the Vice Foreign Minister. But now, he could see the full implication of what he had done. _I've been a coward. I ran away because I can't accept who I really am --- a soldier and a Prince of a Pacifist Kingdom. I thought I couldn't be both, that I have to sacrifice one over the other. And I chose to be Zechs Merquise because it's easier than to be Milliardo Peacecraft. Besides, Milliardo Peacraft died the day he spilled the first blood of his victim. But the truth is, I'm just being a coward. And in my cowardice I dumped a heavy burden on my little sister, making her sacrifice her youth and eventually her life and future. Oh Relena, I'm so sorry. Maybe now that I have faced my demons, I could ease your burden, taking back the responsibility that was supposed to be mine. And also, I could help you with yours. _

Noin patted his husband's hands. She could feel the turmoil he was having and she would stand by his side all the way. She smiled when she felt Zechs squeeze her hand in response. She then turned her attention to the two silent figures working on their computers.

"Found anything new, Heero? Sally?" she asked.

"None," Heero answered.

Sally looked up from her terminal and addressed Noin and Zechs. "By the way, Catherine and Hilde checked in earlier with the other agents and told me that they hadn't found any other bugs in the Palace besides the one Heero found in Relena's office."

"So Damon is only interested in what's happening inside Relena's office then," Noin commented.

"Speaking of Hilde and Cathy, where are they?" Duo asked.

"They just went out to grab a snack. They'll be back soon," Lady Une informed him. 

As if on cue, the 2 aforementioned girls entered the room.

"Duo! You're back," Hilde exclaimed as she ran to him.

"Hi, babe. Missed me?" Duo crooned while hugging her.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't guess that they just saw each other this morning by the way they're behaving."

Duo turned to look at him. "I'll let that pass, Wuffie. I know that you're just envious coz Sally didn't jump up and hug you when we came in."

Wufei's going to start yelling 'INJUSTICE' when Catherine asked, "Did Trowa report in yet?"

"Nope. But he'll call anytime soon," Sally told her.

Just then a beep was heard and the image of Quatre appeared on the big screen. Behind him were Dorothy and Trowa.

"Hi, guys. I see that you're all there," Quatre greeted.

"Good to see you three. How's your end holding up?" Lady Une asked.

"As well as can be expected from the present circumstances. The delegates seemed to have listened to my reasoning and promised not to declare autonomy from the ESUN just yet. They want to wait for Relena. But one wrong move from Earth and they'll be declaring independence and war. DL Walker apparently promised them military aid," Quatre told them.

"It's the same here. The officials promised to behave themselves for the sake of peace and Relena. But if ever the Gundam attacks again or they see any sign of aggression from the colonies like declaring independence or war for that matter, they'll not hesitate to fight back. They're fairly confident that the Preventers will fight at their side. Aside from that, DL Walker seemed to have promised them some military reinforcements too," Zechs said.

"Where did those pompous jerks got that idea?! The Preventers will fight to protect the whole ESUN not only Earth!" Lady Une yelled indignantly.

"Damon also promised the Earth delegates military aid? Why?" Duo asked.

"It's obvious that it's just a hoax, Maxwell. We know that Damon's loyalty is on the colonies. He just wants the Earth delegates to be confident in waging war."

"It's good that they're both waiting for each others moves and not willing to go head-on in an all out war. It'll buy us some time. But we have to find Damon's base and get Relena back ASAP," Heero said. "Trowa, did you find anything?"

"Negative. I finished searching L4 but there's no trace of Damon's base or any clues for that matter," he answered.

Everyone was startled when a beep was heard from Heero's laptop. He quickly pressed a button. "Dr. J."

"Heero, my boy. I have some good news and bad news."

"Spill the good news first please? We're in dire need of them right now," Hilde pleaded. Heero typed some commands to transfer the transmission to the big screen and for it to be received in Quatre's end too.

"Ok. Good news first. The Gundams will be fully operational by 6 am tomorrow."

"You guys really have good timing huh," Duo said, violet eyes dancing at the thought of being reunited with his beloved Deathscythe. "This is great! Shinigami is back in town!"

"They're not supposed to be finished until tomorrow night but we rushed it. You five can fly back here tonight for some last minute instructions, and if you want to make some minor adjustments to your Gundams."

Trowa nodded. It was a relief to hear that they could finally use the Gundams. "With our Gundams, it'll be easier to look for Damon's base."

"But that's not the only good news. We finished decoding all the files we retrieved from Dekim's mainframe. And we found two important files that will give you a clue to what or rather **whom** you're going to face."

"What do you mean? The HAVOC's pilot?" Dorothy asked.

"Yes. We found 2 journal entries of Professor Arbus. I'm sending them right now."

  


> **April 5 AC 195**
> 
>   

> 
> Knowledge is truly a dangerous thing. This same knowledge that made me renowned all over the Earth and the colonies was also the cause of my eternal damnation. Oftentimes, I think that I was better off without this knowledge and just be a simple happy man living with his family. But alas, that wasn't the case.
> 
> I fully acknowledged that the Gundam HAVOC was a mistake from the very beginning. Nothing as powerful as that beast should have been created. It'll be the end of everything if it fell to the wrong hands. And ironically, it will consume the life and soul of its pilot too. That's why my colleagues and I decided to drop it and just work on another project --- the Wing Zero, which ironically, just as monstrous as the HAVOC excluding the strong physical demand on its pilot. Looking back, I didn't know if we were in our right minds then, planning to create a weapon of destruction to achieve peace, to avenge the death of Heero Yuy whom we knew would never approve of such actions. We were wrong, everything was a mistake. I don't know what this mistake cost my colleagues. It certainly cost me everything.
> 
> At first, it cost me my life. Somehow, Dekim and Damon learned of the HAVOC and commissioned me to work for them. I refused. That's why they planned to kidnap me and fake my death so I'll be forced to obey their orders. It was pure luck that I managed to avoid capture and escaped the bombing of my house. That was when I started to go in hiding. I severed all ties except the ties I had with my only daughter and her family, not daring to contact any of my collegues and friends for fear of the Barton Foundation finding me. I had the original plans and I'm the only one who could build HAVOC. It was for the best that I remain 'dead' to everyone except my family.
> 
> Unfortunately, in AC 186 they managed to capture me. But I was resolute with my decision, I would rather die than forever be tortured by my conscience in unleashing such a monster in the world. Damon then offered me a bargain I couldn't refuse. The HAVOC already had a designated pilot and if I didn't build the Gundam there wouldn't be any reasons for keeping the pilot alive. And when I saw who their choice of a pilot was, I readily agreed. It was my 6 yr old grandchild! Now I know how they found me. They used the kid to force my daughter to reveal my location then killed her and her husband. How could I save the Earth and Colonies if I couldn't even save my own flesh and blood?
> 
> The years of torment and despair started as I continued building the HAVOC, all the while training my own grandchild to be able to control it perfectly and to become a ruthless killing machine, as well as a competent leader of an elite team of ace pilots and assassins. The guilt of agreeing to make my own flesh and blood pilot the HAVOC consumed me everyday and to lessen the risk of intense physical and mental burden that the HAVOC would cause, I decided to make its Zero system be activated manually. That way, it could only be used in extreme situations. In this regard, I made sure that my pilot would be the best and the strongest, someone who would never need the Zero system to win a battle. And I succeeded. My pilot proved to be strong, smart and formidable --- simply the perfect candidate for the job. Though I don't know if I should be happy or sad about it. Quinze, Dekim and Damon were surely pleased with the results. The pilot and the suit complemented each other and by the age of 15, she undisputedly became the Goddess of War, ironically living up to her name.

  


"What? An onna?"

"Athena," Heero said.

"Huh? Are you talking about Relena's assistant ?" Sally asked.

"Athena. The Greek Goddess of War and Wisdom," Catherine informed them.

"Come to think of it, the archives said that she was trained to be the perfect infiltrator, using her emotions to her best interests. Being Relena's assistant is a good cover, having access to important files and always being at the center of things. She was probably the one who hacked into the Preventers' database and planted the bug on Relena's office," Zechs assessed. 

"You mean all this time the spy is right under our noses and we don't know about it? And she's also the one who used the HAVOC to kidnap Relena," Noin said with disbelief.

"Hey can you keep it down? I'm still reading. There are more stuff written," Duo told them.

  


> The knowledge that I managed to save her life in exchange for her soul gnawed upon every fiber of my being. It killed me bit by bit everytime I see her come back from a mission, her face blank and her eyes cold. It's not that I managed to make her devoid of emotions, she still had them. She was trained to use these emotions whenever and wherever she deemed it fit in order to complete a mission. The worst part was, she believed that she was doing all of this for the colonies, that her soul was a sufficient enough sacrifice so that the colonies would be at peace. She learned to bear this responsibility with calm acceptance and quiet resignation. Still, she couldn't block out the guilt and the pain of what she was doing, somewhat strengthening and hardening her more, making her wear that expressionless soldier's mask of hers everyday unless the present circumstance calls for another one of her masks. It drives me crazy to think that my Athena sacrificed her soul and her future for a ruckus, a lie. We are not doing this for the colonies, or for peace. We're doing this because we were forced by a few people who wanted power and revenge. We are being used.
> 
> I couldn't bear this any longer. I had enough of this lie. I will not just sit down and let my granddaughter and my creation be used as tools for destruction, as means for a few people to attain domination. I refuse to be a part of a massacre. And I think neither does Athena. I could feel that for the past days she's beginning to see the truth. We won't proceed with Operation Meteor. We will make our own mission to free the colonies and find peace. Instead of destroying innocent people in a meaningless massacre, we will destroy OZ.
> 
> Professor A
> 
>   


"So Professor Arbus altered the orders to Athena too," Lady Une commented.

"But we didn't see the HAVOC or Athena even once during the war," Quatre said.

"And if Professor Arbus didn't like to be used, why is it that they are still working for Damon?" Sally asked.

"The answers are in the 2nd journal entry," Dr. J informed them.

  


> **January 25 AC 196**
> 
>   

> 
> I don't know why fate had to be so cruel to me and my granddaughter. Athena and I planned to disregard Damon and Dekim's orders and just proceed to wage guerilla war against OZ. And by certain twist of fate, I learned afterwards that my fellow scientists had plotted to do the same and succeeded as can be proven by how the Gundam pilots won peace during the Eve Wars. But we didn't. It was April 7 AC 195. We decided to commence earlier than the intended schedule of Operation Meteor. Unluckily, Damon discovered our plan and tried to stop us. Athena was left with no choice but to self-detonate, planning to take me and Damon with her to the grave. Killing one of the masterminds of Operation Meteor, the only scientist who could build the HAVOC and the only pilot at that time capable of operating it was a good plan indeed. But the self-destruct system malfunctioned, emitting a sufficient blast to only destroy the Gundam and not the whole resource satellite we were in. Athena's sacrifice was in vain again--- Damon and I still lived. She and I failed but I thought that it was the end of our misery.
> 
> But I was wrong. Being as strong as she was, Athena survived self-detonation. It was truly amazing. Even with the way she was synchronized with the HAVOC she managed to survive, and I couldn't imagine how horrible and painful it was for her. Though her body survived, her mind suffered from severe shock, making her slip into a coma. Damon knew that I couldn't afford to pay for Athena's medical treatment so he promised to be in-charge of her treatment if I rebuild the HAVOC. He believed that Athena would wake up soon and he didn't want to train another pilot. Besides, it was very hard to find the perfect person that could be trained to pilot HAVOC. I should never had accepted his offer. I should had just let her and me out of our misery. But being her grandfather, I'll do anything in my power to keep her alive. So I let Damon bully me in rebuilding HAVOC.
> 
> Yet another tragedy strikes. When she woke up last week, we discovered that she had amnesia. After 9 months of waiting, I learned that my Athena didn't remember who she is or who I am. The doctor said that there's a big possibility that she would never remember at all. Damon was ecstatic with the recent turn of events. He now had the chance of fulfilling his dream of having his own Perfect Soldier. He barred me from talking to her. He kept me imprisoned, only letting me go out to finish the repairs on HAVOC afterwhich I'll be sent back to my room/lab again. He didn't let her see me or know of my existence. But sometimes I see her in the hangar where HAVOC is, or when we were practicing synchronization though I wasn't able to talk to her because of the guards watching our every move. He now owned her body and soul. He told her that she's a soldier who pledged her loyalty to avenge the colonies. He created memories for her just so he could control her and use her for his own agenda. Though I'm not really sure now what Damon's real agenda is. I heard him arguing with Dekim just minutes ago in the vidphone. Dekim was asking Damon to help him organize an attack that will be executed on Christmas Eve this year but Damon refused him, saying that it wasn't time yet. Dekim was adamant about it so Damon just hung up.
> 
> Athena might had lost her memories but there were some things that she hadn't lost. Like her spirit, dedication and instincts. She still knew how to fight. She retained all of her skills and abilities. She retained her personality. She could even still speak in Japanese, her father's native tongue. It's like she's still my Athena and yet not. My Athena died when HAVOC self-destructed. Or did she die on the day I trained her to be what she is now?
> 
> Her retraining will start tomorrow, when she's fully recovered. Damon wanted her to be in tip-top shape so I'm guessing that Damon is planning something. I just hope someday she'll remember and be free from all of this.
> 
> Professor A
> 
>   


Everyone was speechless after they finished reading.

"I can't believe it. Athena is the pilot of the HAVOC," Lady Une said.

"I really pity Professor Arbus. He had a lot of bad breaks and tough lucks," Hilde told them.

"Yeah. He sounded pretty beaten up to me. He's so sad and tired," Dorothy added.

"That's why she seemed so strong for her built. It takes great strength to pilot that Gundam," Wufei commented.

"And it's scary to think that she had been trained since she was a kid. She's just like Heero. And Trowa too, who had been a soldier ever since he could remember," Duo said.

"Wait a minute. You said that you have some bad news. What is it, Dr. J?" Catherine asked.

"We received an encoded message earlier. It was sent in a frequency channel that only my colleagues and I used. I'll send it to you."

A man in his late 50's with silver hair and beard, wearing thick glasses appeared on the screen.

"J, G, H, S, O I have a distinct feeling that you're still alive somewhere. So I'm taking this chance to reach you, like sending a message in a bottle across the vast sea. You and the Gundam pilots are the only ones I could think of to warn."

"Damon is planning to attack tomorrow, I'm not sure what time. He'll be targeting the ESUN Earth officials, mainly the President, to surrender and hand over the reign of power to the colonists, particularly to himself being the colonies' chief representative. The Preventers wouldn't be able to stop him, having a much superior army if ever the President refuses. He has more or less 3000 Virgo Mobile Dolls that are Zero system controlled but operated not by a human but an AI computer with the data of the 5 Gundam pilots, 500 Taurus Suits, the HAVOC and one secret weapon that aside from Damon only 3 other people knew of. I don't know how you'll stop him but I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to think of something."

"One last thing, can I make one selfish request? Please help Athena find her way. She can help you. At this rate, you'll need all the help that you can get. Remember the real Operation Meteor. With the six Gundams and their pilots working together, they'll be virtually invincible."

"Thanks. Goodluck and Godspeed."

The image disappeared.

"So, that's what Professor Arbus looks like," Duo said.

"Have you tracked down the transmission's source?" Trowa asked.

"We tried but we can't. Maybe Heero can."

Heero started to work on the transmission, his face intent on his laptop as his fingers typed furiously. After a few minutes he announced, "I found it." He pressed a button and the coordinates were transferred on the big screen. 

"Hey, I remember those coordinates. I'm pretty sure that those point to one of the oldest colonies located at the far side of the moon. But that's impossible. They can't be there," Sally told them.

"Why?" Quatre questioned.

"It was deserted long ago and deemed inhabitable. It's just too old, it couldn't support life anymore."

"If that's the case, how can Damon and his troops survive there?" Noin asked.

"And if I can remember correctly, the last time we checked that sector we didn't find any life form readings there. Even electrical impulses," informed Wufei.

"Maybe Damon has a technology that can make that colony habitable again," Zechs suggested.

"He certainly has jammers and other sophisticated cloaking devices which helped him hide from everyone efficiently," Trowa added.

"Hn. He's really smarter than we give him credit for. He had his base on the only place we wouldn't search --- an inhabitable colony. And even if we search the area, we wouldn't find him," Heero said.

"We better start planning our attack. How large is the Preventer army, Lady Une?" Quatre asked.

"We have 200 Serpent suits, 300 Taurus suits and 20 armed shuttles."

"Oh boy, this is going to be one tough fight," Duo said grimly.

  


********************************************************************************************

  


Relena paced back and forth in her room. Now she knew what her dream meant. It was definitely some kind of a premonition. _It was a warning,_ she told herself. _We've longed for peace for so long that it became somekind of an impossible dream for all of us. And now that finally we have attained a sense of peace, a new threat is here to destroy it. The HAVOC, I saw it in my dream. It's the key._

She stopped pacing when she heard the door opened. She stared at the slender figure in a soldier's uniform framed in the doorway. 

"Athena."

Athena closed the door and coldly regarded her before addressing her in a flat voice, "Damon said that you wish to speak to me."

Relena was at loss how to react. She couldn't believe that this person in front of her was the same Athena that she knew for more than a year now, the one she considered as a friend. This Athena was very different from her thoughtful, vibrant and cheerful friend, almost the exact opposite and if not for the auburn hair and gray-green eyes which were uniquely hers, she wouldn't accept the fact that this was really Athena. Relena gazed on her emotionless face, focusing on her eyes. She shuddered. _So cold. So intense. Just like Heero's._ Then it clicked. _They're the same. Heero and Athena. They were trained for the same purpose --- to fight, to kill. That's why the first time I saw her, I thought of Heero. They have the same expression in their eyes, the same enhanced strength hidden in their slight frames, the same aura of danger that seems to envelop them._ She couldn't help but feel sad for them. Both were stripped of their innocence and forced to live a sad and dangerous existence in the battlefield. But the wars were over, she didn't have to be a soldier anymore. 

"Why, Athena? Why are you doing this?"

"For the colonies," she answered evenly.

"Can't you see that Damon is just using you? That he himself is drowning in his own ideals? You're not going to help the colonies with another war."

"This is not just another war. This war will decide the future of the colonies. When the colonists rule over the ESUN, it will be a dawn of a new era. Peace will finally be achieved."

"The new era has already dawned, Athena. We are already at peace. The Earth and the Colonies are coexisting, isn't that enough?"

"You're mistaken. This is not peace. And we are not 'coexisting' as you like to put it. Nothing has changed. The colonies are still the underdog, still being ruled by the strong Earth. As always, we are being subdued, used, exploited. You know all the facts, Relena. You know how those Earth aristocrats and officials treat us, as if we're dirt, as if we belong to them and in that sense we should cater to their every whim. This has got to stop. And I'll be the one to put an end to this."

"But that's it! Don't you know that Damon was behind the gradual political upheaval in the Congregation? That he's the one who caused all of that trouble? He maneuvered things so that the ties between the Earth and Colonies will go awry and if it wasn't for his meddling there wouldn't be any problems or tension! He intended the Earth officials to behave like that so the colonies will get angry and retaliate, hereby supporting his operation. Don't you get it? He made everything up! And if he really had good intentions, he shouldn't have done some sneaky maneuverings. I don't know how you bought the crap he's been telling you."

"But you want me to buy the crap your telling me, isn't that right, Relena?" Athena said, smirking. "You can say what you want but it wouldn't matter. Nothing would ever change my mind. I was born and trained to fight for the colonies, I will die fighting for them. It's my destiny. And I will not be a traitor like the other Gundam Pilots."

"How can you say that? Of all people, I thought you're the most likely to understand. You're one of them. You should have understood by now that they did what they believed was best for everyone. They didn't choose sides, they didn't just fight for the colonies or save the Earth. They fought for us, the civilians, the citizens who are always caught in the middle of this power struggle. You and the other 5 pilots are all alike, you hope for the same thing --- to put an end to all of this turmoil and to finally achieve peace. And in the process, you sacrificed everything so that you're the only ones who would have to go out and fight, who would have to die. Your goals were finally achieved, Athena. We managed to put an end to the suffering. But if you continue with this madness, everything would start all over again. More civilians and soldiers would have to be sacrificed again."

"As long as the Earth remained the ruler, there'll always be more people that has to be sacrificed."

"No. As long as someone claims dominion over the other, more people has to be sacrificed and peace will never be achieved. Let it go, Athena. You don't have to fight anymore. I know that you're hurting, you don't have to do this. It's all over."

"You're wrong. It's not yet over. The colonies are still suffering. They're counting on me to deliver them from this miserable existence, to avenge them. And I will fulfill their wishes."

Relena was getting desperate. "Can't you see that you're being stubborn? That you're just like Damon who is wallowing in his warped sense of ideals and beliefs? Please Athena, open your eyes. Accept the truth. Damon's wrong. You're wrong. You're fighting for the wrong side. Join the others in maintaining peace. Help me stop Damon from his madness." In her desperation to talk sense into her friend, Relena didn't realize that she crossed the distance separating them and she was now shaking Athena violently. Relena regained her senses when she found herself at the wrong end of a gun's barrel.

"You're way in over your head, Relena. I wouldn't commit treason if that's what you're suggesting. Don't try anything stupid. You have probably known by now that I mean business. I won't hesitate to kill you if I have to."

Relena removed her hands on Athena's shoulders but she maintained eye contact. She wouldn't be scared of a gun. Having known Heero, she had sufficient experience in having someone point a gun at her all the while threatening to kill her aside from the many assassination attempts on her life. And she was never afraid of her death. But this, Athena pointing the gun at her, threatening her, and the thought that their friendship was just a lie, this was too much. It hurt too much.

In a quivering voice, Relena asked, "You mean, all this time, you've been fooling me? That you just befriended me because of a mission, a ploy for you to get close to me and get inside the Congregation?"

Athena's face softened and she lowered the gun. Her countenance reverted back to the Athena that Relena knew so well. "It was, at first. But after a while, I learned to accept you as a friend. You have that effect on people, Relena-sama. Even to those battle-weary and hardened, like me and Heero. Actually, you're the only friend that I ever had. Everything that I've shown you for the past year was real. The concern, the care, the friendship, the camaraderie --- they were all genuine."

Relena looked at her wistfully. "How can I know that you're telling the truth? How can I know who's the real Athena?"

Athena smiled sadly at her. "They're one and the same. If I haven't been trained to be the HAVOC's pilot, I'll be just like the girl you've met." Suddenly, her expression hardened again, her soldier's mask back in place. "But that's not the case. I was trained to be a soldier, to obey orders and to fight, to become the perfect weapon. I will assume my position as the defender of the colonies and the leader of the Gundam Pilots. I will fulfill my responsibility. I will accomplish my mission. Even if it kills me," she said with finality. And with that, she strode out of the room, leaving Relena alone once more.

  



	9. God vs. Soldier: To see the face of one'...

Chapter 9   
  
**Disclaimer: ** I think I'm beginning to sound like a broken record here. Gundam Wing aint mine. Maybe in Chapter 10 it will be hehe.   
  
In a battle, are the soldiers on either side the ones really fighting each other? Or is it that all of them are fighting against one enemy--- their own cruel fate? For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 9: God vs. Soldier --- To see the face of one's true enemy **

  
  
  
  
  
**PRESIDENTIAL PALACE 6am**  
  


"As of this moment, the whole Presidential Palace is secured, along with the President and the rest of the Earth officials," Lady Une informed Heero and Quatre's image in the vidphone. "The remaining 100 Taurus suits and 18 shuttles are all in position, ready and in stand-by if ever any enemy MS get pass through the third line of defense, just as planned."

"Hn. What about the assault team?" Heero inquired.

"Zechs is currently with them at the Preventer Headquarters, giving last minute instructions. They'll be launching at exactly 6:10 and will be arriving at the rendezvous point within 50 minutes."

"How did you manage to easily gather the Earth officials there within a short notice and without them overreacting?" Quatre asked, curious.

Lady Une reached a hand to her throbbing head and heaved a big sigh. "Who said that they didn't overreact or that it was easy? After you five left, Noin, Zechs and I set out to call the President and explain the situation to him. After 2 hours of convincing him that we were just doing this as a precaution and that it was not really the colonies who were planning to attack, we asked him to call an emergency Earth delegates' meeting at 5:30 am, instructing him not to reveal any details. Just imagine the whining and the demands those pompous, stuck-up aristocrats did when they arrived here. Another round of explanations were made. It was a blessing that Zechs was getting better in his diplomatic skills but he had to leave the rest of explaining to us because he had to prepare the troops for the attack. Noin and I wouldn't have survived handling them and we still have other important duties to think about aside from babysitting them. It was also a good thing Hilde, Catherine and Dorothy were here to help." She cracked a smile as she remembered how the 3 girls handled those arrogant fools. "By the way, did you contact the Colony delegates and told them what's happening?"

"We decided not to. Telling the colonies about the attack might rattle them and make them think that we're accusing them. Instead of repulsing Damon, they just might end up supporting him. It's for the best that we continue with the plan, waiting for Damon to make his first move," Heero answered.

Lady Une realized the logic behind the decision. "What about the Maganacs? Did you contact them, Quatre?"

"Yes. Rashid told me that they'll be at the rendezvous point by seven."

"How are the Gundams?" 

Quatre smiled. "They're fully operational. It's like being reunited with a long, lost friend."

"We'll be launching off after some last minute check-ups. We'll rendezvous with the others by then," Heero told her.

"Rodger. Sally is running the Preventer Headquarters for me and she'll be monitoring the assault. Contact her if there are any problems. Goodluck." With that, Heero and Quatre's image disappeared.

Lady Une sat back and momentarily indulged herself with her thoughts. She couldn't help feeling guilty whenever she thinks about those five boys fighting again. They were so young, so pure and yet they had this enormous responsibility. It was unfair for them to have this such big of a burden to bear. But they had no choice, there's nobody else. It was ironic to think that an entire nation was dependent on 6 teenagers --- 5 soldiers and 1 princess. The boys fight for peace while the princess maintains it. _Once again, the fate of the ESUN lies on those kids. And that's what is so reassuring about it. Those pure souls can always do the impossible._ With that last thought, she stood up and went to join the girls and the officials in the President's office.

  
  
**AT THE HANGAR IN THE PREVENTER HQ…**  
  


"Remember, the plan is to wait for Damon's first move before attacking. But if by 8 o'clock he still hasn't made any moves, we'll go on with the assault on his base. We'll surround the base, the Gundams and the Tallgeese being the 1st line of defense, the Maganacs, the second and you, the third. The MS that will manage to get pass us will be stopped by the Maganacs and those that will slip pass them you must destroy. Do not let any enemy MS get pass you. Not even one should go near the Earth at all costs. Those that you'll fail to destroy will set their sights in attacking Earth and you all know that there are only a hundred Tauruses and a couple of armed shuttles left to fend them off. You are all a crucial factor in this battle. Understood?' Zechs asked his troops.

"Sir, yes sir!" is the chorus of answers.

"Well then, get in your suits. We'll be launching. Goodluck."

The pilots jumped to their suits and got ready. Zechs climbed the Tallgeese III's cockpit and activated it. He checked his troops and when he saw that they were all ready, he pushed the control handle. The Tallgeese blasted to the sky, followed by an army of Serpents, Tauruses and 2 armed shuttles.

  
  
**DAMON'S BASE 7:50am**  
  


After inspecting his troops and making sure that the base was secure with all of his men in position, Damon proceeded to the control room. Two soldiers who were in-charge of operating the control panels snapped into attention when he entered the room. "At ease, boys," he told them as he sat, facing the big screen. He smirked. _This is it, the fulfillment of my dream! I've been waiting for this moment for so long. All obstacles must be eliminated. I wouldn't let anything stop me. _He pressed some buttons, afterwhich an image appeared on the screem.

"Goodmorning, Mr. President," Damon greeted.

The President, startled, said, "Who are you?"

"My, my. You do me a great dishonor, Mr. President. After all that I've done for you, after all the advices I've given you, you just ask who I am? I'm terribly offended."

The President's eyes widened as the words sink in. "You mean, you're DL Walker?"

"The one and only. Though I would prefer you call me by my real name, Damon Luther."

"What do you want, Mr. Luther?"

"Well, what I want is simple enough. I want you to step down and hand over the ESUN to its rightful rulers --- the colonies. And as the Chief Representative of the Colonies, I want you to surrender the reigns of power to me."

"Do you think I'm that stupid to just hand over the ESUN to some psycho? We don't deal with terrorists, Mr. Luther. You don't have any right to make such demands."

"And you have the right to lead the ESUN?" Damon countered. "You're making me laugh. As far as I can tell, even from the beginning you and the rest of the Congregation officials depended on my advice on how to do your jobs properly. See? I'm more capable of ruling than all of you put together."

The President reddened with Damon's remark. And so did the rest of the Earth officials who were listening to the conversation. Lady Une signaled to the President when he just continued to stare at Damon and say nothing. He cleared his throat and said forcefully, "No. Never. I will never let you rule over the ESUN. This discussion is over." He was going to terminate the call when Damon stopped him.

"I wouldn't be so hasty if I were you. And I'm not a terrorist, I'm asking you nicely, aint I? But if you keep on being stubborn, I'll be forced to change your mind the hard way."

"What do you mean?" the President asked, dreading his answer.

"If you wouldn't give it to me voluntarily, I'm going to go get it myself. And your Preventers can do nothing to stop me."

The President paled. But he answered Damon in a confident and resolute voice, "Threaten me all you want, Damon. But I won't give in. We won't give in. You used me and the others long enough, we won't let you use as again. I will never resign my position. I will never hand the ESUN over to you. You want it, you get it. We'll fight for it 'til the end."

"Very well." He turned to one of the soldiers, Captain Brooks. "Release the Mobile Dolls and order the Tauruses to launch."

"Yes, sir," Capt. Brooks answered. He activated the AI Program for the Virgo II Mobile Dolls then proceeded to relay the orders to the rest of the troops. "To all men, Phase III of Operation Domino is a go. I repeat, a go."

The 4 gates of the colony opened and a vast armada of Virgo Mobile Dolls and Taurus Suits emerged.

Capt. Brooks turned to Damon. "All troops were deployed, sir."

"Good."

A buzz was heard and the second soldier, Capt. Medina reported, "Sir! A horde of enemy Mobile Suits is headed towards us!"

"Huh? It's probably the Preventer army trying to stop me." Damon frowned. "But how did they find our location that quick? It doesn't matter. My armada will defeat them. Did you confirm what type of Mobile Suits they are?"

"Yes, sir. Serpents, Tauruses, the Maganacs, the Tallgeese III and…" Capt. Medina looked at Damon and continued, "the 5 Gundams." 

"What?! Gundams!" Damon faced the President again and he didn't miss the smug look on the President's face. Damon smirked. "So that's why you wouldn't surrender. You have the Gundams on your side. Do you really think that the Gundams can stop me? I've put a lot of thought in this, do you think that I'll just let those treacherous brats ruin my plans? You've underestimated me. But I'm still going to give you one last chance to surrender. Think it over. I'll contact you after a few minutes. Maybe after my armada destroys the entire Preventer army together with the Gundams. So long." Damon then abruptly disconnected the call.

  
  
**OUTSIDE… **  
  


The five Gundams and the Tallgeese III were flying towards Damon's base, as if in formation with Wing Zero leading them. The Maganacs were behind them, followed by the Preventer army. They saw the Virgos and the Tauruses emerged from the colony gates.

"Here they come," Trowa said.

"It's party time!" Duo yelled in delight. "Prepare to face Shinigami and die!"

"Nataku, it's time again for you to help me show them the real meaning of justice."

"Be careful, Master Quatre," Rashid said. 

"I will. Be careful too. Goodluck, guys," Quatre told them.

"Spread out. To your positions!" Zechs ordered. The troops flanked out, surrounding the base. Shots were heard as the two sides clashed. The battle had began.

  
  


Wing Zero flew straight to the colony, slashing through the Mobile Dolls in his path with ease and proficiency, leaving wreckage and explosions at his wake. Though his mind was not really into his fighting. His mind was concentrated on the mission at hand, that he was destroying suit after suit methodically, almost absentmindedly, knowing that he had to get passed these obstacles first in order to accomplish his mission. _I need to get in and find Relena before blowing up the whole base._ He slashed the last Virgo on his path. He was headed towards one of the gates when he suddenly changed direction. A black Mobile Suit came flying towards his former position and missed him by an inch. 

The HAVOC stretched two dragon fangs and fired the 4 flamethrowers all at once at Wing Zero. "I always wanted to fight you, Heero Yuy," Athena said to her commlink.

Heero dodged and fired his vulcans, the HAVOC deflecting the blasts with its planetary defensors. "Where's Relena?"

Athena fired her own vulcans. "Want to get her? You must go through me first."

"Rodger that," Heero answered as he fired his machine cannons. The blasts were merely deflected. But he continued firing and dodging. He knew that the only way to defeat the HAVOC was to overload its planetary defensors by sufficient bombardment. Heero smirked._ It's a good thing that I installed as much homing missiles and micromissiles in Wing Zero as there are in Heavyarms. It will surely increase my firepower._ He also had to tire out Athena. And when she did get tired, his plan will then take effect.

  
  


Altron's twin beam trident managed to slash through the 3 Virgos' planetary defensors, destroying them in one clean swipe. "Shimatta! I feel like I'm fighting another Gundam pilot and not these damned Mobile Dolls."

"Yeah. These Virgos have their own planetary defensors. And they fight good. Maybe even as good as us," Trowa said while firing his double gatling gun.

Deathscythe Hell flew towards a horde of Virgos, destroying all of them with his twin beam scythe. "Well, they should be. They're programmed with our battle data remember?"

Tallgeese III fired his machine cannon, eliminating all enemy MS in his path. "Did Yuy get inside the base yet?"

Quatre momentarily looked at his screen. "Negative. He's still engaged with the HAVOC," he told them as he fired Sandrock's beam machine gun.

Wufei used Altron's vulcans to destroy the MS headed straight at him. "How in hell does he think he's going to defeat the HAVOC?"

"Don't worry. I think Heero has a plan," Quatre answered. 

  
  
** ON EARTH... **  
  


Lady Une contacted Sally. "Are the two shuttles in position?" she asked.

"Yes. They're just waiting for your signal," Sally answered.

"Very well. Tell them to proceed with the broadcast."

  
  
**AFTER 30 MINUTES... **  
  


The HAVOC lunged at Wing Zero. Heero continued dodging away, firing the last of his micromissiles.

"Why do you keep on firing? You know that those blasts have no effect on me. I'll just deflect them. Why waste your ammo?"

Heero made a diagnostics check on Wing Zero as he dodged a dragon fang. He used up all of his ammunitions and the only remaining weapons for him to use were the beam saber and the twin buster rifle. He chose the later. He aimed and fired at the HAVOC. The HAVOC just stood there, unharmed. He fired again.

"I know you're not that stupid. Stop playing games and start fighting me, Heero Yuy. Let's settle who's the best between us once and for all."

_Hmm. I think I bombarded her enough._ Wing Zero took out his beam saber and charged at her. HAVOC blocked him with her own beam saber. The duel began.

  
  


Deathscythe Hell staggered. He was hit from behind. "Why you little punk," Duo said as he slashed the offending Taurus with his twin beam scythe. "That's what you get with messing with the God of Death." While firing his vulcans, he asked, "How are you holding up, Trowa?"

Heavyarms fired his homing missiles. "I'll be running out of ammo very soon," he answered. 2 Virgos hit him in either side. Trowa recovered and blasted both of them with his gattling cannon. "It's a good thing I can use my army knife when that happens."

"I don't know how long we can keep this up," Wufei told them as he avoided a blast from two Virgos in front of him. "Kisama!" he muttered as he was hit from behind by another Virgo. He lunged his dragonfangs at them, burning them with his flamethrowers then firing his vulcans.

"I know. There are just too many of them. And we're getting tired," Quatre added, firing his missiles. "What's the status of the Preventer army, Zechs?" Quatre queried as he slash every Taurus in his path by Sandrock's heat shotels.

"Preventer Forces are down by half and counting," Zechs answered as the Tallgeese slash another Virgo with its beam saber. "That means me must redouble our efforts," he informed them while blasting his enemies with his vulcans.

"That's fine with me," Duo said as he continued sending Taurus pilots to their maker. "No enemy MS has gotten passed the third line of defense right?"

"Right," Zechs answered.

"That's enough to make us redouble our efforts," Trowa said. 

  


********************************************************************************************************

  


"How long has the battle been going on?" Damon asked.

"Thirty minutes, sir."

"Status?"

"Two-thirds of the whole armada has been destroyed."

"Hmm. They're tougher than I thought. So Relena is right afterall. Protecting requires greater strength than conquering. But it wouldn't make any difference. The Gundams might be powerful, but they are still piloted by humans who are held back by human weaknesses. They'll get tired soon enough. Besides, I have another ace up my sleeve. Whichever way one looks at it, at the end, I'll still be the victor."

He proceeded to contact the President again. When the President's image appeared on the screen, Damon could see the self-satisfied look on his face.

"I thought you're going to contact me after you've destroyed the Gundams, Damon. As far as I know, the Gundams and their pilots are still alive and kicking your troops' ass. Also, there haven't been any of your MS that got passed them and attacked us here," the President sneered. "It's just a matter of time 'til they wipe out your **vast armada.**" 

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Are you challenging me?" he asked, his tone dangerous. Then he chuckled. "But you're right. There isn't even one of my MS that got near the Earth. But do you actually think that I haven't thought of that possibility before I made the attack? Again, you've underestimated me," he said mysteriously.

The President was unfazed. As smart as Damon was, there couldn't be anything else that he could come up with, could he? "You're bluffing."

Damon couldn't help laughing like a madman when he heard the President's words. "No I'm not. I'm sorry to tell you that I have a solution to that little challenge of yours. I don't need any MS nor do I even have to get near you to succeed. Have you ever heard of a secret weapon, Mr. President? I'll use mine right now." He turned to the two soldiers in the room. "Prepare the main array. Lock on target: The Presidential Palace in Brussels." 

What Damon didn't know was that his transmission and the battle outside his base were being broadcasted throughout the whole ESUN.

  


********************************************************************************************

  


Wing Zero and the HAVOC continued fighting, beam sabers drawn. Athena was getting exhausted. She had never faced anyone as strong and as skillful as Heero before. But she was glad with the challenge. And she wouldn't think of backing out. There's just so much at stake here.

"Athena, this battle is pointless. Let's stop this."

"It might be pointless to you, but not to me."

"Do you honestly believe that you're helping the colonies this way?"

"Yes." 

"Tell me one good thing that will come out of this war."

"The colonies will finally rule the ESUN."

"What will that accomplish?"

"Peace."

"Peace is not decided by the ruler or the soldiers. Nor can it be ascertained just by changing rulers or governments. What is needed are the pure hearts that will hope for peace. People who will fight for peace and maintain it."

Athena snorted. "You're starting to sound like Relena."

"Open your eyes. Know whose side you should be with."

"Don't presume to lecture me. I won't listen to someone who betrayed the colonies."

"The Barton Foundation is the one we rebelled against, not the colonies. I acted on what I believe is the right thing to do. Have you ever acted on your emotions before?"

Athena stopped dead on her tracks. Why did that simple question stirred something inside her? She shook her head and continued her attack. "Don't you ever compare yourself to me. I'm the designated leader of all the Gundam pilots. I was trained to follow orders and not to do things according to my whim. I'll never be like you." She lunged at Heero but Wing Zero promptly disabled her, making her beam saber be thrown away. 

"What kind of a leader are you, that you couldn't see that you're just a puppet? That you're following the wrong orders from the wrong man? You couldn't even think for your own self. You're right. You'll never be like me. Because I'll always act on what I feel is right, even if ordered otherwise."

Athena continued to stand there, fuming. This was the first time that she lost a fight. This was also the first time she got this furious. "You can say whatever you want but the fact still remains. I **am** your leader. And I am better than you. My mission is to make the colonies the rulers of the ESUN. I will not fail in my mission." Fatigue, exhaustion and the burden of controlling HAVOC were taking its toll on her. Aside from the bruises and the pain shooting throughout her whole body that Heero managed to inflict on her. _There's only one way to win,_ she thought. _It's time to level the playing field._ "Activate ZERO system. Code: H-A-V-O-C." 

The whole cockpit of the HAVOC hummed as the Zero system activated. Athena stiffened as a vast stream of data flowed into her brain, her eyes illuminating with a yellowish-green glow.

Heero watched as the HAVOC stayed put in its position. Now he knew why Professor Arbus called Athena the Goddess of War. He had never faced a girl or anybody as skilled as her in battle. Even Zechs paled in comparison. He continued watching the black Gundam in front of him. Someone else would have thought that the HAVOC had given up or had malfunctioned. But Heero knew what's happening. He saw the HAVOC's eyes glowed green. And he could sense the change. _Hn. She has activated the Zero system. It's about time._

  


********************************************************************************************

  


"See, it's very wrong of you to underestimate me. But before you make your final decision, I would like to tell you that my main array is 10x as powerful as Libra's cannon. One shot and it will destroy not only the Presidential Palace but also everything within a 600 mile radius. And there's nothing that the Gundams can do to protect you."

The President glared at him. Damon laughed. "Your stubbornness will lead to massive destruction and massacre. You could just hand over the Presidency to me so that the colonies will rule over the whole ESUN and we will finally attain peace. So, what's your final decision?"

The President sighed. He looked one last time at Lady Une, his eyes pleading for her to understand that there was no other choice he could make. "Damon, my decision is ----"

An incoming transmission broke through. The image of the Head of the Colony delegates appeared, behind him were the rest of the Colony officials of the Congregation.

"We, the Colony officials wanted everyone to know that the colonies still consider themselves as part of the ESUN. In this regard, we dispel any claims that we want to seize control of the whole ESUN from the present President. We stand in full support of the present administration and we condemn Damon's actions in proclaiming to everyone that this meaningless war was our doing or was made in our behalf."

Damon turned red with anger. "HOW DARE YOU! TRAITORS!" he yelled. His outburst traveled to every transmission channel. "You dare side with those who had oppressed you while I, a colonist, worked so hard to avenge you, to seize control for you!"

"You're not doing this for the colonies, Damon. Admit it. You're doing this for yourself. You have mistaken revenge for purpose," the Colony Head stated. "You're drowning in your own ideals. It's time to let everything go. We don't want any more wars. What you're doing will only lead us back to that miserable existence we had managed to left behind."

"Fools! You don't know what's good for you." Damon jumped from his seat and went to the control panel of the main array. "If you wouldn't support me, then I'll destroy you."

  


********************************************************************************************

  


Athena gritted her teeth as she tried to control the onslaught of data in her brain. _Got to take control. Must not lose myself. I still have a fight to finish._ Gathering her bearings, she took her other beam saber and charged at Heero full force that Wing Zero was thrown back. They resumed their fight, with Athena getting the upper hand. Her reflexes and reaction speed had increased tenfolds. But after a few minutes, it was clear to Heero that she was slipping and on the verge of a killing spree. She destroyed even the Virgos and the Tauruses that got in their way. The Zero system was finally getting to her, working its 'dark magic' on her.

"I will not stop until I destroy you. You're the enemy. I destroy all my enemies," Athena said to him.

"Are you sure that I'm your enemy? Who are your enemies, Athena?"

"Those who fight me and those who endanger my life are my enemies. Those who threaten the things that I hold dear are my enemies."

"Ask HAVOC who your enemies are. Ask HAVOC if I'm your enemy."

"He's not your enemy, Athena. Look inside yourself and remember who you are," a familiar sounding voice in her commlink said. 

Athena stopped her rampage and listened to the voice. The eerie glow in her eyes receded a bit. "That voice---" she breathed. "Who are you?"

"Remember those people whom you hold dear, Athena. And fight for them," the voice answered. 

Her head pounded. Something from the back of her mind was coming to the surface. It was like she could hear the HAVOC whispering to her, REMEMBER. Images flashed in her mind. She clasped her head, the HAVOC mimicking her gesture. She saw a little girl with auburn hair being dragged in a room where a man with black hair was conversing with an older man with glasses. She knew that old man. _Grandpa!_ She then saw the same girl, doing some kind of military exercises. She saw the girl again, somewhat older, her face emotionless and her gray-green eyes flashing coldly. _Is that me?_ She then saw herself inside the HAVOC, activating the self-destruct mechanism. She planned to destroy the whole resource satellite where she, her Grandpa and Damon were. _Why? Why would I kill myself and my own Grandfather?_ She then remembered. _Operation Meteor. I planned to stop Operation Meteor._ She remembered everything. _That voice, it's Grandpa's!_

Heero studied the HAVOC. He knew that the Zero system was now releasing everything buried in her mind. He expected as much, knowing that the only way to get Athena to their side was to make her remember. And the Zero system was the only thing that could do that._ It's time for the final push._ "See the face of your true enemy, Athena," he told her.

Athena pondered Heero's words. "See the face of my true enemy…" _Does he mean that I'm fighting the wrong enemy all this time?_ She then managed to piece together what happened after her self-detonation to the events prior to it. She saw the image of the 5 pilots in her mind, then of Relena, then of her Grandpa. "Now I know who my true enemy is," she said as her mind focused on Damon's image. "HAVOC made it clear to me." 

A sudden movement caught their attention. Both of them saw the colony's main array. And by the looks of it, Damon was aiming at the colonies.

"NO!" Athena screamed as she rushed towards the main array. Wing Zero flew beside her.

"Finish your mission, Heero. I'll finish mine."

"Ryoukai." Wing Zero then flew towards the colony.

  


********************************************************************************************

  


"After all that I've done for you, you dare turn against me! All of you will pay for your ingratitude! All of you must pay for your betrayal!" He pushed the button and the cannon fired. He waited for the glare to be gone, wanting to see the debris and ruins of the colonies that betrayed him. His eyes widen in surprise when he saw that the colonies were not destroyed. And standing between the cannon and the colonies was the HAVOC.

  


********************************************************************************************

  


Wing Zero destroyed all Taurus Suits guarding the colony. Heero then landed Wing Zero and searched for Relena on foot. He dispatched all the soldiers he came into contact with quickly, knowing that he had to accomplish his mission as fast as he could.

He entered the building and searched every locked room. When he opened the last room in that level, he came face to face with someone familiar.

"Professor Arbus."

"You must be Heero Yuy. And you're looking for Relena Peacecraft, am I right?"

"Hn."

Professor Arbus pressed some buttons on his computer. After a while he said, "This way." They used an elevator to go up the building. When they got out, Professor Arbus led him to a series of corridors. They stopped in front of the last door. Heero overrided the code and the door opened. 

"Heero!" Relena said, running towards him. Heero held her protectively as they went out of the room.

"You better get her out of here, fast," Professor Arbus told him while running down the corridor.

"You two go and get in a shuttle, I'll follow you. I need to go to the control room first," Heero said.

Professor Arbus shook his head. "No. Both of you have to leave immediately. I know what you're planning. I'll be the one to do it."

"But---" Relena started to say.

"No but's young lady. I have some score to settle with Damon. Do you want to begrudge me of that? This is for the best." He looked straight at Heero's eyes, asking silently that he allow him to do this. "I promise that I'll finish your mission for you. I won't fail." Then he silently muttered, "We won't fail again."

Heero held Professor Arbus' gaze. He understood what Professor Arbus meant by his last statement. "Very well." They reached the elevator. "Goodluck," Heero said to him as he handed him a gun.

  


********************************************************************************************

  


"What do you think you're doing, Athena?" Damon asked, surprised and really pissed off, as Athena's image appeared on the screen. _She better has a good explanation for this._

"What do you think I'm doing, Damon?" Athena responded with sarcasm. "Protecting the colonies, what else. This is what I was trained for, isn't it?"

Damon fumed. "So you regained your memory. But do you think that you can stop me? I can clearly see that you're already exhausted. Did Mr. Perfect Soldier give you a hard time? And I know that what little strength you still had you used up when you deflected my main array's blast. In your weakened state you cannot deflect another shot. How can you stop me then, huh? You might be the Goddess of War in the battlefield and the HAVOC might be invincible in battle but there's always a limit to what you can do."

Athena smirked though her whole body was aching. If it was not for the Zero system, she wouldn't be standing upright. Controlling the Zero system and the HAVOC prevented her from succumbing to the darkness that was calling her. She inched closer to the nozzle of the main array. "You're right, as usual. I can't possibly deflect another shot. But did you forget some minor detail about this whole thing, Damon? You need at least three minutes to charge the main array for another shot. And what I'm planning to do will only take 30 seconds tops." 

Damon paled. He then laughed. "You mean you're trying to do that stupid thing again? You Gundam pilots are all the same. Aside from all of you being traitors, you always resort to self-detonation. You can't possibly self-destruct. I ordered your Grandfather to remove it when he rebuilt the HAVOC. And you wouldn't dare kill your Grandfather and Relena Peacecraft, would you?" he asked smugly.

"You're wrong. She can," a voice from behind Damon said. He whirled around and saw Professor Arbus holding a gun, standing by the door. 

Professor Arbus turned to the two soldiers. "Run, save yourselves." Capt. Brooks and Capt. Medina immediately went out of the room. Professor Arbus locked the door and aimed the gun towards Damon. "I didn't remove the self-destruct mechanism from the HAVOC. On the contrary, I made sure that this time, it would work perfectly and that its blast can obliterate an entire colony. Also, I'm sorry to inform you that Relena Peacecraft is not here anymore." 

"Huh? How in the world---"

"It's time to end this Damon," Professor Arbus quietly said. He turned to face Athena. "Do what you have to do, Athena. I'm so sorry."

Athena's eyes softened. "Goodbye, Grandpa. I'm sorry too." Inside the cockpit she commanded, "Start Self-Destruct Sequence. Set: 30 seconds." She then saw Wing Zero flying away from the colony. "I'm sorry for everything, Relena-sama. Friends?" she said to her commlink.

In the Wing Zero, Relena heard her. "Of course, Athena. Forever."

"That's nice to hear. Heero, take good care of her for me, will you? And tell the other pilots that I'm sorry."

"Acknowledged," Heero answered. Relena's eyes widened. "Athena, what are you saying?"

"There are so many things in my life that I regret doing. But I wont regret this. And I dont regret meeting you. Goodbye." A deafening sound was heard as the whole colony behind them exploded into oblivion. 

"Athena! NO!" Relena cried.


	10. Onwards to tomorrow

Chapter 10   
  
**Disclaimer: ** After 10 chapters Im sad to say that I still dont own Gundam Wing [sob].   
  
This is it--- the final chapter. For comments, suggestions or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .   
  
  
  
  


**Endless HAVOC: God vs. Soldier**   


by Neesah   
  
  


**Chapter 10: Onwards to tomorrow **

  
  
  
  
  
**SATURDAY NIGHT (Peaceraft Palace)**  
  


Zechs nodded at the waiter as he cleared their table. He then sat back on his chair and sighed contentedly. Who would have thought that just last Wednesday there was a war? But everything was back to normal now.

Damon's coup officially ended when the HAVOC self-destructed, taking the whole colony with it. With the AI program for the Mobile Dolls destroyed, the Virgos stopped functioning. And seeing the futility in continuing the battle, the remaining Taurus pilots willingly surrendered. Operation Domino was finally over. 

After the battle, everybody decided to push through with the Peace Summit and Relena's party. Zechs looked around the decorated ballroom. He couldn't stop the smile that formed on his lips when he saw the Earth and Colony delegates drinking, talking and laughing together. It was hard to believe that just last Monday, they were after each other's throats.

The Peace Summit this morning was a success. Every official had restated their loyalty to the ESUN as a whole and not just to the place they represented. All misunderstandings were cleared up and everything about Operation Domino was explained. The future of the Gundams was then decided. The Preventers, the Congregation and the Gundam pilots (though present in the meeting as Preventer agents and Quatre as a Colony delegate, they didn't reveal themselves) came up with an agreement that instead of destroying the Gundams as part of the Total Disarmament Treaty, they would be considered as part of Preventer artillery. But they couldn't deny the danger this will pose to the whole ESUN if ever the Gundams fall into the wrong hands. So they decided to keep the Gundams in separate state-of-the-art, fully secured, camouflaged storage facilities, each location only known to the pilot itself and the locks to each storage could only be opened by a specialized security key, much like the Tallgeese's, that would be kept by the head of the Preventers. This way, it'll be ascertained that a Gundam running amok was either caused by his own pilot, the Preventer head or both.

Zechs' musings were interrupted when Noin left Lady Une and went to their table, taking a seat beside him. The lights dimmed. Relena's debut was about to begin. 

Lady Une, being the Master of Ceremonies, stood in the podium. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm pleased to present to you the debutant, Miss Relena Darlian Peacecraft."

All eyes focused on the two figures bathed in the spotlight, standing at the top of the grandstaircase. Relena had changed from her earlier short, lavender cocktail dress with spaghetti straps to a gold, sleeveless gown with a fitted bodice and a flowing skirt that reached to the ground. The front part of the bodice was embroidered, while the area above her breasts and below her neck was made of a net-like, see-through material while the back part was made of the same see-through material extending to the hollow of her spine. With that gown and her golden hair gloriously rippling over her shoulders, she looked like an angel or a wood nymph, having the fresh young beauty of a spring morning. Heero stood at her right looking spectacularly handsome in his black tuxedo, which he traded for his earlier white one. He never did manage to tame those unruly locks of his, but instead of diminishing his attractiveness, it added more so. The wild, brown hair and the intense Prussian blue eyes, coupled with the air of mystery and danger surrounding him and the indefinable aura that could only be described as a cross between being a man and a boy made a very potent combination in him. The whole assembly stared at awe at the two. They made a very startling pair --- the dark, somber lad with the golden-haired lady.

They descended the steps, Relena's right hand tucked in Heero's left arm. Heero led Relena to the center of the ballroom and with them in position, the lights went on.

Lady Une spoke once more. "Let us all welcome, the debutant and her escort, together with the cotillion de honor."

Zechs and Noin watched with fascination as Duo, Hilde, Trowa, Catherine, Wufei, Sally, Quatre and Dorothy entered the dance floor. The boys were all wearing blue Barongs while the girls were wearing matching blue, Sabrina-styled gowns that flowed just above their ankles. When the five pairs were in their proper formation, the song played and they started the traditional dance of the cotillion.

After a few minutes, Zechs whispered to Noin, "They're pretty good huh?"

"Yeah. And they just practiced for two days."

"Nobody would ever guessed that." He then looked at her seriously. "Are you sure you're not mad at me for not joining the cotillion? I know that you really love to dance," Zechs asked.

Noin smiled. "And you don't. So that's ok. Besides, we both have our own parts to fulfill in this celebration so that balances it out."

Zechs nodded and continued watching the cotillion. They were all good, but his eyes always revert back to the couple at the center. He must admit that Heero and Relena really looked great together. They even danced good together, as if each one was made specifically for the other. Heero was his usual stoic self, but it was obvious to Zechs that he was enjoying himself. He could see the corners of Heero's mouth soften whenever he looks at Relena. _Just don't lead her on then drop her, Yuy. Or else, with or without the Zero system I'll kill you this time._

"Getting jealous, big brother?" Noin teased.

"No. Not jealous. Nervous. You know that I have to deliver a speech as part of the ceremony, being Relena's big brother and all."

Noin chuckled. "You, who never got nervous in piloting a deadly machine and fight, are nervous of delivering one little speech?"

Zechs mock-glared at her. "You know that's not it. Not entirely, I mean. I'm going to insert my little announcement in my speech, sort of my other birthday present for her. I sure hope she likes it."

"Of course she'll like it. She'll like both the announcement and the set of Martian diamond ring and earrings we ordered for her."

Zechs smiled at her then suddenly stiffened as everybody applauded. The cotillion was over. He saw the four couples leave the room to change their clothes. Heero then led Relena to her designated chair and stood beside her.

Noin patted his shoulders. "Don't worry. There's a lot of ceremonial stuff to be done first before your speech. Like the video tribute to Relena, the 18 roses, the 18 candles, my speech…"

"Then my speech."

"Then your speech," Noin amended.

"Oh boy."

  
**SUNDAY MORNING 11 AM**  
  


Zechs, Noin, Lady Une, Duo, Hilde, Sally, Wufei, Trowa, Catherine, Dorothy and Quatre were in the drawing room, sipping their coffee. All of them just woke up, having partied the whole night up until the early hours of the morning. They were presently waiting for the kitchen staff to finish preparing lunch.

Duo yawned. "I'm still sleepy. Let's get back to bed, babe," he said, standing up. He was on his way out of the door when he suddenly yelled. "OUCH! HILDE!"

Hilde let go of his braid and looked at him sternly. "Nobody's going back to bed, Duo. This is the last day that we're all together. Another year will pass by before we get this chance again so we're going to enjoy every moment of it."

Duo muttered something under his breath and reluctantly went back to his seat. "Can't you just excuse me this one time? My head is still pounding."

"That's your fault, baka. If you hadn't ingested every alcoholic beverage you laid eyes on last night, you wouldn't have a hangover," Wufei told him.

"It was a party, Wufei. You're supposed to get drunk and celebrate," Duo retorted.

"I agree that it was a celebration. Aside from it being Relena's birthday, it was also a victory bash for having maintained peace once again. But I think stuffing yourself with alcohol was a way overboard," Dorothy commented.

"Hey! I'm not the only one drunk last night! Catherine, Hilde and Sally were too. And all of you were a little buzzed up."

"Don't remind me," Catherine moaned. "I'm very thankful that the broadcast only covered up to the part of Relena's speech so nobody saw my crazy antics last night."

Noin, Zechs and Lady Une exchanged looks. "Actually, the **whole** party was broadcasted including the ball and the aftermath of it, not just up to Relena's speech," Lady Une informed them.

"And the broadcast only stopped when we all went to sleep," Zechs added. 

"You mean…" Sally stuttered as she turned bright red. Wufei turned red too. 

"Yes. The whole ESUN saw what you and Wufei did when you had your 12th glass of champagne," Noin chuckled.

"Speaking of speeches, you really caught us off guard there, Zechs," Quatre said.

"Well, Noin already suggested before that we stay. And with the whole diplomatic thing that Yuy made us do, I finally decided to stop running away from my birthright."

Hilde turned to Catherine. "Did you notice that there were only 17 candles last night?"

"Yeah," Catherine answered. "I think the missing slot was for Athena."

"Why? Was Relena expecting that Athena will survive her self-detonation again and come to her party?" Duo asked.

"Even someone as strong as her wouldn't survive that explosion. The whole colony was blown to bits," Trowa added.

"I think Relena already knew that. It was some kind of a tribute to Athena. Relena wanted to tell everyone that Athena would never be replaced," Noin explained.

"Speaking of Athena, it's a blessing that she switched to our side. If she didn't, Damon could have won," Dorothy said.

"I know. If she hadn't remembered her past and interfered, it's only a matter of time before the Mobile Dolls defeat us," Quatre told them.

"Those Mobile Dolls don't get tired but we do. And we're losing ammo," Wufei amended.

"But how did she remember?" Lady Une asked.

"I'm pretty curious too. All that I could remember was seeing Wing Zero and HAVOC fighting, then suddenly the HAVOC self-detonated," Zechs said.

"The Zero system," Trowa informed them.

"Huh? I thought that she was trained to be so strong that she wouldn't need the aid of the Zero system to win," Sally said.

"She was. But she never faced Heero before and Heero made sure that she'll eventually use the Zero system," said Quatre.

"So, Heero planned everything?" Catherine asked.

"Heero has always been thorough. He wouldn't go to a fight without a plan. More than anyone, he knows the capabilities of the Zero system. He remembered the time when I regained my memory using Wing Zero. And the HAVOC had the Zero system installed in it. So he only had to make Athena use it," Trowa explained.

"Come to think of it, it was the only logical plan. The only way to force Athena to use the Zero system was if she's losing. So Heero had to reduce the HAVOC"s planetary defensors' power and tire her out in order to defeat her, knowing for a fact that she'll use the Zero system as a last resort. And relying on what Professor Arbus told us about Athena, we could count on her help in defeating Damon," Quatre added.

"Hey, I just realized something," Duo said. Trowa, Wufei and Quatre looked at each other. Whenever Duo started saying that he realized something, that something always turned out to be not worthy of one's realization. 

"What is it now, Maxwell? And don't tell us that you realized that Catherine is Trowa's sister again," Wufei snorted.

Duo looked at him. "Duh. Everyone knows that. What I realized is that Heero didn't save the world this time. Athena did."

"Yeah. Heero is not the **hero** during the last battle," Hilde quipped. Everybody groaned except for Duo. He smiled encourangingly at her.

"Technically speaking you're right," Lady Une said. "Though as I gather it, he intended it that way."

"And he might not have saved the whole world, but he managed to save **his** world," Noin said mysteriously. Everybody understood her words. He did manage to save her.

"Speaking of Yuy, do you know where he is?" Zechs asked.

"Oh Zechs, do you still have to ask?" Dorothy said. "He's wherever Relena is."

  
**AT THE FAR END OF THE PALACE GROUNDS…**  
  


Relena was sitting on a bench, quietly marveling at the beauty of nature surrounding her. _Finally we are at peace,_ she told herself. This was what the world should be, serene, beautiful and safe. But as always, sacrifices had to be made to keep the world safe. Some sacrificed their youths, others their entire lives. But she knew many who sacrificed both their lives and souls for peace. She muttered a prayer to Athena, "I hope that you're happy wherever you are, my friend." Athena had been an important part of her life, one of the people she considered a constant, which was why it hurts too much to think of the fact that she was gone for good. But she was sure that Athena wouldn't want her to be sad on her behalf. With her death, Athena had secured peace for them and Relena was certain that Athena would never regret making that decision.

She then smiled as her thoughts wandered to the events yesterday. The Peace Summit went well. And her debut was a blast. She cringed inwardly at the word 'debut'. It was suggested to her by her grandfather (Marquis Weridge) and the other aristocrats when they learned that she was turning 18. At first she didn't like the idea of a debut. It was a leftover tradition dating far back to the old calendar where the debutant was presented to the society, informing them that the lady was now eligible for marriage. She didn't want to be 'presented' to the society. She was not even planning to get married soon. Aside from that, she was fairly certain that her party would be full of 'eligible men' who'll be fawning her all over. Also, it would be full of pageantry and ceremony. But her grandfather insisted so she humored him. In the end, she was glad that she agreed. It was fun. She had a great time practicing the cotillion with the gang. She cried when she saw the video tribute to her, recounting the story of her life since she was a baby (thanks to Milliardo). She had fun dancing with the men comprising her 18 roses, Zechs being her first dance and Heero the last. She enjoyed listening to her girlfriends comprising her 18 candles wish her the best of everything. She was touched with Noin's speech, barely able to control her tears. But she couldn't help crying when she heard Milliardo's speech. His announcement that he and Noin were going to stay so that they could help her with her duties struck a chord in her heart. He was reclaiming his title back, he would be the Chief Representative of the Sanc Kingdom from now on. Aside from that, he would be the deputy Vice Foreign Minister, lessening her workload even more. She smiled fondly at the thought of her brother. "Oh Milliardo, you're the best brother a girl could ever have." 

A gentle breeze caressed her cheek, making her hair billow in the air. She reached up to tuck a stray hair strand behind her ear, her fingers accidentally grazed the earrings she was wearing. Heero gave them back to her a day after the war, telling her that he removed the tracking device on them making them just ordinary earrings now. She smiled. Heero. Aside from Milliardo, Heero also went out of his way to make her happy. She knew how much he hated gatherings and social events but he willingly submitted himself to all that pageantry just for her. He fulfilled his escorting duties perfectly. She was worried though, so she kept glancing at him all night, her eyes silently asking him if he was fine. But Heero assured her that he was enjoying himself. Though he remained stoic throughout the whole night, his eyes reflected laughter in them, and he managed to express that laughter into a smile once or twice for her benefit. _He certainly looks cuter when he smiles,_ Relena mused. _I hope that he smiles more often._ After the ceremony, the ball started. All of them had a great time dancing. And almost everyone was drunk, making them lose their inhibitions and be a little wilder then usual. Even Heero seemed to relax a bit. They danced, drank, laughed, danced and drank some more, taking pictures and daring each other. It was really a fun and memorable night.

Her thoughts were cut off when a shadow fell over her. She turned her head and saw Heero standing at the other end of the bench, both of his hands behind him.

"Heero," she said, smiling at him.

"How long have you been here?" Heero asked, still standing.

"Hmm. Maybe 10 minutes. Why?"

"I've been looking for you."

Relena furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?" she asked again.

"I haven't given your present yet," he answered as he revealed a gift bag from behind him and handed it to her.

Relena accepted the bag and gestured for him to sit down next to her. She waited until he was seated before opening the bag. She saw a yellow bear inside, along with a black, flat, square box. She opened the box and saw a necklace with a shooting star pendant, the match of her earrings.

"Don't worry I didn't bug it. I always keep my promises," Heero assured her.

Relena looked at him and smiled. "Thank you. It's very pretty."

"Want me to put it on?"

"Yes. Please." Heero took the necklace while Relena turned around to let him put it on her.

"Done."

Relena faced him again. "Are you planning to give me the whole collection?" she teased.

"Maybe," Heero answered flatly. But Relena could see mischief in his eyes.

"Are the others up yet?" she inquired.

"Hn. The girls apparently planned on enjoying the last day we are all together in any means possible. Even if that means missing more hours of sleep and dragging Duo and the other guys away from bed."

Relena looked away as if slapped by his words. She knew that there's an end to this fairy tale. And that end would start tomorrow, when her friends leave, making their lives go back to the way they were. But it still saddened her. _Maybe because now that he had returned to me, I don't want to let him go. _

"What time are you guys leaving tomorrow?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"Quatre's shuttle will be here at 8 am. They're going to L2 first to drop off Duo and Hilde then to L3 for Catherine and Trowa before proceeding home to L4."

Relena suddenly faced him, the next question evident in her face. Heero gave her a small smile. "I'm not leaving."

Relena's heart skipped a beat. "You'll stay?" she asked breathlessly, almost disbelievingly. 

"Yes."

Relena opened her mouth, then closed it again. She was happy that he'll stay, but there was one more thing she had to know. _Don't celebrate yet,_ she instructed herself. _ You're just delaying the inevitable. _Finally, she got the courage to ask the question. "For how long?" she whispered, afraid of his answer.

Heero held her gaze, looking intently in her eyes. "As long as you want me to."

Relena was at loss for words. She felt giddy, lightheaded and breathless all at the same time. _So this is what Duo meant when he said that I haven't gotten the best present yet._ She then saw Heero leaning towards her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the moment when his lips claim hers when…

"Heero and Relena sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

Relena suddenly opened her eyes, her face turning bright red. Without breaking eye contact, Heero whipped his gun towards the direction of the voice.

"...First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes a baby in a baby---" A shot was heard and a bullet missed Duo's head just by a quarter of inch. "---carriage," Duo finished. "HEY! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!" he yelled. He was standing 5 ft behind them, his violet eyes as wide as saucers.

"What do you want?" Heero asked evenly, still staring at Relena's eyes.

"Geez, you don't have to be so rude. Don't you know I'm doing you a favor? I came here to tell you both that lunch is ready."

"Thanks, Duo. We'll be there in a minute," Relena told him, still holding Heero's gaze.

Duo looked at his two friends in amusement. Either they were trapped in their 'name-calling' thing or in their 'staring at each other's eyes' thing. "Ok. Just hurry up with the smooching will ya? They wouldn't serve lunch without you two and I'm starving." He turned and started walking away when another bullet whizzed pass his head again.

"Sssh, a little trigger-happy today are you, buddy? Damn teenage hormones," Duo muttered but wouldn't dare say out loud. Heero might not intentionally miss this time. He hurried away.

Both Heero and Relena stood up. "We better get inside. I'm starving too," Relena said. Heero offered a hand and Relena took it, smiling. Hand-in-hand they started walking towards the Palace, towards the future.

~THE END ~ 

  
  


Finally, Im done. Kinda sappy isnt it? Cant help it, Im a hopeless Heero x Relena fan. Though I think that happy endings only happen in fairy tales, I believe that that those two and the other pilots deserve their own happy endings. I wrote a sort-of epilogue to Endless HAVOC entitled **"The way you love me"**. I separated it coz it's a lemon. But it can also double as a stand alone piece. To all of you who patiently waited for the end of this fic, thank you. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please send in your reviews, I'm desperate to hear what you guys think. Til next time.

**Notes about the debut if you're baffled about what I was talking about in this chapter:**  
1.) The 18 roses consists of 18 guys, each one will wait his turn to dance with the debutant, handing her a rose. The ordering is significant --- The first dance (or the first rose) is usually reserved for the father or most important family member. After the brother, cousins, uncles and guy friends, the 18th rose (or the last dance) is reserved to the debutant's special someone. So if the escort is her special someone, the escort is automatically the last dance.  
2.) The 18 candles consists of 18 girls, each one lighting a candle before saying her wish for the debutant. The 18th candle is usually the debutant's best friend.  
3.) The speeches. The parents have to give a speech about their daughter. In Relena's case, Noin and Zechs acted as her parents, so they are the ones who gave the speech. And they're the ones who knew Relena well. Then at the end, the debutant will have her own speech.  
4.)The cotillion usually consists of the debutant's friends, often more than 5 pairs. They practice for a month or so before the actual party. In Relena's case, since they only decided to have the cotillion as part of the program right after the war, they only have 2 days to practice so it will be better to only have 5 pairs.The dance consists of a waltz and some other (I dont know what they're called). A choreographer is hired to teach the dance steps. It is also required for everyone to have matching outfits.   
5.)The constant change in outfits. Usually, the debutant and her escort greet their guests in a different outfit. Dinner is served first before the actual the ceremony so they have plenty of time to change.   
6.)Dinner comes before the ceremony. And after the ceremony, the disco (or ball) starts. And it is when the fun begins.   
  
So a debut is a very elaborate and grand celebration. But not all debuts are this elaborate. It depends on the family's social status. I have friends who changed gowns 6x during the party.   
  
And for those who dont know what a barong is, it's a traditional Filipino shirt, transparent and made from jusi (Pineapple fiber). It is usually used in important occasions. The traditional color is flesh (or white), but due to the advances in fashion, there are colored barongs available now.  
  
Special thanks to chris for inspiring me to have a detailed description of the debut. I planned to just scan through it. 


End file.
